Apple still might beef up Apple TV+ by acquiring MGM
Reports this week have surfaced to indicate that Apple's flirtation with the idea of acquiring screen giant MGM is still very much ongoing, although whether talks between the two parties are in progress isn't yet clear.
It's a fairly acknowledged fact that Apple TV+, for all its merits, is still a little thin on content when compared to the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, leaving it somewhat underpowered in the streaming wars.
A quick, though undeniably expensive way for Apple to beef it up with a range of exclusives would be to acquire a major studio, as it's apparently been considering for a few years. Now CNBC has reported that Apple is in the "preliminary stages" of talks with MGM over an acquisition, although the movie studio is apparently open to multiple suitors.
Netflix is apparently among these, though none of the talks have progressed particularly far. Call us suspicious, but you could almost wonder whether MGM is keen to let people know that multiple businesses are considering it for purchase.
Regardless, its library of movies and rights would be a decent arsenal for whoever bought it. Franchises like the Bond films, in particular, fall under its umbrella, giving some real prestige to its catalogue.
There's no suggestion that any deal will happen particularly soon, of course, especially given the sums of money involved and the complexity of any acquisition, but this still offers a hint at how Apple might seek to beef up what it can offer on Apple TV+ down the line.
MGM is apparently valued at around $10 billion, which means that any deal that is struck would likely dwarf Apple's previous record acquisition, the $3 billion purchase of Beats.
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