Apple TV+ is raising prices and expanding its content ambitions — here are the shows and movies it wants now, per leaked Hollywood agency documents

• Apple TV+ is growing its content slate, even as the spending binge of peak TV winds down.
• Leaked agency documents and industry insiders highlight what’s on Apple’s streaming wish list now.
• It wants “female-forward” films, reality shows with “Apple premium sheen” and a version of sci-fi thriller “A Quiet Place.”

Apple TV+ is a minor but significant player in the streaming wars. According to MoffettNathanson, it has an estimated 11% of the ad-free streaming market, placing third after Netflix and Disney+, and has spent $7 billion on content this year, which is half of Netflix’s outlay.

However, it is known for its willingness to invest in talent and give film and television directors creative freedom. Martin Scorcese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which is currently in theaters before streaming exclusively on Apple TV+, reportedly had a budget of $200 million to $250 million, while Reese Witherspoon’s “The Morning Show” reportedly cost Apple $150 million per season.

And, at a time when other media companies are contracting, Apple has indicated that it wants to expand its streaming content slate. It is raising its monthly subscription fee to $9.99 from $6.99 in order to support additional content and features.

Interviews with agents and production executives briefed by Apple insiders, as well as two leaked agency documents detailing multiple streamers’ content wish lists, paint a picture of the types of shows and movies the tech titan wants as it beefs up its slate. Apple has yet to respond to comment requests. (To learn more about what Netflix is looking for in new projects, go here.)

Apple’s identity has been built around elevated but popular programming with big stars and hopeful themes, avoiding controversial topics that risk undermining its massive retail business at home and abroad — a mandate that has produced shows like Jason Sudeikis’ hit “Ted Lasso” and “Platonic” starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen.

According to all accounts, it is remaining committed to that mission as Hollywood recovers from a months-long writers’ strike and prepares for the resolution of the ongoing actors’ strike.

“It definitely wants commercial fare,” according to one agent. “No religion, characters smoking, doing drugs.” The New York Times reported that Jon Stewart’s talk show “The Problem” is leaving Apple due to disagreements over potential show topics such as China and artificial intelligence.

Apple is “always looking” for films that “highlight humanity,” according to one of the agency’s documents. Projects can be of any genre, but they must be optimistic and have a clear “why now.” Films that are “female-forward” and “elevated YA” are on the wish list. Other genres in need include comedy and science fiction, such as “Foundation,” an Apple TV+ sci-fi drama based on Isaac Asimov’s novels that just finished its second season.

While Apple “won’t do down the middle bloody horror,” it would “love” to see a remake of John Krasinski’s sci-fi horror film “A Quiet Place,” according to the document.

According to the second agency documentary, Apple has a growing appetite for unscripted series. It’s looking for projects that can be finished quickly, such as a competition show, as long as it has the “Apple premium sheen” and is “well cast.”

Apple, which has acquired the rights to Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball, is looking for complementary unscripted sports programming that can be produced quickly. Access to subjects is valued, but not every project requires “incredible unprecedented access” like Apple’s docuseries “The Dynasty,” about the New England Patriots, or its documentary feature “Stephen Curry: Underrated.” The streamer also hopes to “crack the code on sports anthology” with a project similar to Netflix’s “Untold” docuseries, which will appeal to both sports and non-sports fans.

Apple TV+, as a side hustle of a massive retail business, can fly under the radar, immune to the economic pressures that have roiled the entertainment industry. According to one of the agency’s documentaries, it will continue to take nine-figure swings on tentpole films like “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” both of which are expected to be major awards contenders this year. (Apple TV+ was the first streamer to win the best picture Oscar, in 2022, for “CODA,” which it acquired at the Sundance Film Festival).

However, the agent claims that even Apple is becoming more cost-conscious: “They’re still willing to pay for the right star, but spending $15 to $18 million per episode isn’t going to happen.”