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Apple’s SVoD ‘could reach 100 million subscribers’ in three to five years

Analyst Dan Ives predicts that Apple will acquire a production company in 2019

By Dan Meier

Apple’s planned SVoD could reach 100 million subscribers in its first three to five years according to one leading analyst.

Dan Ives predicted that would translate into a $7 billion to $10 billion annual revenue stream.

He also told CNBC, that he believed Apple will complete a long-touted high-profile acquisition this year.

Ives, who stressed the need for investment in content by Apple last month, said of the company: “You need to monetise, you need fuel in the tank and we believe it’s content. That’s why be we believe this is the year they finally do a big M&A.”

Apple is aiming to launch its SVoD before summer without involvement from Netflix or HBO, which according to Ives leaves a content gap; “If they want to be a serious player here they are going to have to significantly invest in the platform in terms of having their own original content,” he said.

Pointing to production companies A24 Studio, Lionsgate, Viacom/CBS, Sony Pictures, MGM Studios and Netflix, Ives said that failure to make such an acquisition “will be a major strategic mistake in our opinion that will haunt the company for years to come.”