Apple TV: Cue promises more and better Apfelpatient

Apple plans to expand its streaming service without compromising its quality standards. Eddy Cue followed up in Cannes with a clear commitment to more content and a strong indication of a second theatrical release.

Apple's head of services, Eddy Cue, has announced that Apple TV will receive "better and more" content. The statement came around the time he was named Entertainment Person of the Year 2026 at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where Cue shared the stage with Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer. What initially sounds like an acceptance speech actually offers a glimpse into Apple's plans for the coming years: a second Formula 1 film, a major new project with Bruckheimer, and a growth strategy guided by a specific principle.

"The best, not the most"

Cue received the award for content available on the Apple TV platform. In his acceptance speech, he emphasized that Apple had never aimed to be the biggest provider, but rather the best. He described this guiding principle as striving for "the best, not the most," adding that despite its achievements so far, the company was only just getting started.

What's interesting is that Cue links this principle precisely to the promise of "more." A larger selection and the stated ambition to remain a leader in quality are in a natural tension - Apple will therefore have to prove that it can maintain both simultaneously. That the strategy has been successful so far was recently demonstrated by a comparison of streaming services, in which Apple TV ranked ahead of Netflix in terms of quality.

A second F1 film is getting closer

The most concrete indication of the future program came from the conversation with Bruckheimer. Both unequivocally suggested that a sequel to "F1 – The Movie" is planned. "We'll be back and hopefully make another F1 film," Bruckheimer said on stage. Cue added: They would do it again, another Formula 1 project was the goal, and everyone wanted to see a sequel.

There's no official green light yet, but the commercial implications make the move seem likely. The first film starring Brad Pitt grossed around $634 million worldwide – Pitt's most successful theatrical release ever and also the most successful theatrical release for Apple Original Films. It also garnered four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. Joseph Kosinski, who previously directed "Top Gun: Maverick," was at the helm.

A UFO thriller as the next big project

In addition to the F1 sequel, the duo announced another collaboration. Bruckheimer and Kosinski are working on a conspiracy thriller about UFOs, which Bruckheimer described as "a kind of 'All the President' about what the government has been hiding for years about UAPs." It will be based on a true story and, in his words, is simply mind-blowing. Cue immediately picked up on the project and confirmed that their collaboration extends beyond the next F1 film.

Why Apple deliberately started small

Cue also used the appearance to explain Apple's fundamental decision to focus exclusively on in-house productions. At the launch almost seven years ago, they deliberately avoided acquiring existing content and entered the market with only five or six original series. Apple even used this limited offering as an argument with producers: a service without additional content believes in a project more fully than a competitor with a bulging catalog.

This logic proved convincing, for example, in the pitch for "The Morning Show," which brought Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston to Apple. The viability of this approach is underscored by the in-house series Pluribus, which recently won a Gotham Award and which Cue describes as the platform's biggest production to date.

Flexibility instead of rigid rules

A recurring theme in the conversation was Apple's willingness to be flexible. Bruckheimer recalled how the first F1 film was pitched to nine different distributors and studios – and Apple came up with the most creative suggestion: to keep the film in theaters for an initial 45 days. In fact, the film remained in theaters as long as tickets were sold before successfully transitioning to streaming.

Cue confirmed this approach: those striving for excellence cannot afford rigid rules but must remain flexible and react quickly. This attitude aligns with Cue's long history at Apple. The manager has been with the company since 1989, was responsible for the launch of iTunes and the App Store, and today heads the Services and Health division as Senior Vice President. He stated that it took him two years to build the Studio division, until he found the right people in former Sony executives Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg in 2017.

Apple TV poised for its next growth phase

Cue's appearance in Cannes reads like a stocktaking exercise: The platform is to grow without diluting its core values. With a potential F1 sequel, the UFO thriller, and the commitment to more content, it's clear that Apple intends to significantly expand its content offensive in the coming years – driven by the conviction that quality is a better growth strategy than sheer quantity.