Apple And Dr. Dre Collaborating On New TV Show

By Jenn Loro - 15 Feb '16 02:23AM

Beats co-founder and hiphop legend Dr. Dre is reportedly to star in Apple's inaugural TV series "Vital Signs" according to The Hollywood Reporter's multiple sources.

Apple's first TV venture shall be exclusively offered through its video streaming device Apple TV. The tech giant is attempting to carve out a market share in the streaming device sector. According to research firm eMarketer, the video streaming market is largely dominated by Google's Chromecast, Roku Box, and, of course, smart TVs.

"There has been such a proliferation of video streaming services and hardware in the past year that the only way Apple can get a leg up in the market is to differentiate with original content," remarked eMarketer analyst Paul Verna as quoted saying the New York Times.

The collaboration between Dre and Apple would allow the company to make a headway into video streaming after overcoming its challenges with content. Dr. Dre became an Apple executive shortly after the Apple bought his headphones company Beats Music for a whopping $3 billion back in 2014.

According to a report by Gizmodo, the Apple-financed TV series would resemble a semi-biopic film featuring Dre as the lead character with Sam Rockwell and Mo McCrae as supporting casts. Some insiders say that planned film production would also include orgy scenes, rapes, and rolling decapitated heads.

The new project might be a big break for both Dre and Apple amid concerns of falling hardware sales. Recent business activities point to the company's expansionist policies in the services area such as its increasing emphasis on iCloud.

Brian Fung, writing for the Washington Post, commented that Apple can take advantage of "Vital Signs" in its bid to outdo its TV rivals. After all, the company can always make a good use of its large user base.

"Mass appeal is really all Apple Music needs to succeed. It doesn't have to kill every other service; it just has to be good enough - with a few extras thrown in," Hayley Tsukayama said as quoted by Fung in his Washington Post article.