Jimmy Iovine Dishes on Apple Music TV Expansion Rumours

Jimmy Iovine has once again hinted that Apple may indeed be looking to follow Netflix and Amazon down the original TV programming route, telling The Hollywood Reporter that “We’re going to do whatever hits popular culture smack on the nose.”

At the Television Critics Association that took place on Saturday, where Iovine appeared to promote his upcoming HBO documentary The Defiant Ones, the Apple executive dished on the future of Apple Music.

“At Apple Music, what we’re trying to create is an entire cultural, pop cultural experience, and that happens to include audio and video,” he told reporters.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal cited sources inside Apple claiming the company is looking to “build a significant new business” in the area of scripted TV, talking with veteran producers over the past few months about buying rights to television programs and trying to woo experienced studio and network marketing executives to come on board.

While Iovine didn’t provide much in the way of specifics — shrugging off questions about the report’s claim that Apple would begin offering original scripted content by the end of this year — he clearly signaled the company is much more open to a wide range of TV shows now.

“If South Park walks into my office, I am not going to say you’re not musicians, you know?” Iovine continued when pressed about the report. “We’re going to do whatever hits popular culture smack on the nose. We’re going to try.”