Apple TV’s International Expansion

Apple TV, the streaming service of Apple, is on the hunt for a key executive to lead its local language scripted projects. This move comes as part of a significant shift in the company’s international strategy, following the departure of Morgan Wandell and Oliver Jones from their roles in the international team.

According to a job posting on LinkedIn, the newly-created role of Head of Local Language Scripted is a London-based position within Jay Hunt’s team, the Europe chief at Apple TV. The job ad outlines the responsibilities of the position, which includes working closely with experts in the market and the Creative Director of International TV, Jay Hunt, to set strategy and commission content.

The ideal candidate will be responsible for defining and executing a comprehensive content strategy for local language scripted series across key international markets. They will need to make a compelling slate of shows that resonate in multiple markets, assess scripts for Apple series potential, and meet with top talent and agents.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute a comprehensive content strategy for local language scripted series across key international markets.
• Make a compelling slate of shows that resonate in multiple markets.
• Assess scripts for Apple series potential.
• Meet with top talent and agents.
• Navigate regional nuance, leveraging a deep understanding of international market dynamics, including regional content quotas and local compliance, to identify whitespace opportunities in highly competitive territories.

The role is an opportunity for someone to set the direction of a big-budget streamer’s international slate and will likely attract a high caliber of candidate.

Apple TV has made significant strides in the international market under Hunt’s leadership, delivering some big hits in the UK and beyond. The company’s UK slate includes shows like Slow Horses, Bad Sisters, and Hijack, while its international slate includes French fare like Liaison, Spanish shows like Women in Blue, and German series like Where’s Wanda?. Apple has also picked up Legendary’s French-Japanese series Drops of God and is a co-producer on big hits like Tehran.

The hire will come following exits in the Apple international team, including the departure of Wandell to launch his own indie and Jones’ move to Amazon. Matt Cherniss, Apple TV’s head of programming, now oversees Wandell’s slate, while Hunt’s remit has expanded to all international and local-language original projects.