Apple Inc (AAPL. O) said on Friday it hired co-presidents of Sony Pictures Television, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, to lead its video programing efforts.
The duo, responsible for shows such « Breaking Bad », « Better Call Saul », « The Crown » and « The Blacklist », have been Sony Pictures presidents since 2005.
« Jamie and Zack are two of the most talented TV executives in the world and have been instrumental in making this the golden age of television, » said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
Apple began its long-awaited move into original television series last week, with a reality show called « Planet of the Apps », an unscripted show about developers trying to interest celebrity mentors with a 60-second pitch on an escalator.
The company’s future programing plans include an adaptation of comedian James Corden’s « Carpool Karaoke » segment from his CBS (CBS. N) show that will begin airing in August, as well as a documentary about Sean Combs in June and another about Clive Davis in a few months.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee and Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)