Apple’s intention to take over the planet took a crucial step forward yesterday when they announced their first foray into original television content. Planet of the Apps looks to be basically a Shark Tank for apps.
Each episode of the show follows two different app companies paired with a mentor. The show will follow the entrepreneurs as they prepare to pitch their idea to the venture capitalists at Lightspeed Venture Partners. But episodes begin with various mentors—again like Shark Tank—hearing pitches and deciding if they want to work with the developers to ultimately secure funding. These advisors will be Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Will.i.am and Gary Vayerchuk.
Episodes will only be an hour, but Alba says the process for each company took several weeks: “We spent lots of time with them, hours and hours of hacking away at the best way to pitch the company, how to monetize it, how to scale the business.”
Obviously, the show intends to work as a promotional for Apple’s newly redesigned App Store, as well as a brand-new app they’re developing for the show itself. Additionally, Apple intends to release Carpool Karaoke—a spinoff of James Corden’s popular segment on his show—this August. The hope is that original programming will draw more customers to Apple Music, which has so far lagged well behind Spotify’s massive 50 million users.
If Planet of the Apps catches on, it’s likely that Apple will start green-lighting dozens of new, original shows.
Check out the trailer above—for a limited time, you can watch the show’s first episode here.