Apple poaches Sony’s ‘Breaking Bad’ execs in hard push for its own TV programmes

Apple has poached two long-time Sony Pictures Television executives to expand the iPhone maker’s push into original television programming, plunging deeper into a field crowded by Hollywood studios and online streaming services.

Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, responsible for hit shows such as “Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul” and “The Crown,” will join Apple in newly created positions that will oversee all aspects of video programming, the technology giant said in a statement on Friday. The pair have been Sony Pictures presidents since 2005.

“Jamie and Zack are two of the most talented TV executives in the world and have been instrumental in making this the golden age of television,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.

“There is much more to come,” Cue said of Apple’s video effort.

Hollywood has been awaiting the entry of deep-pocketed Apple into original video series, an increasingly competitive market.

Apple began its move into the field last week, with a reality programme called “Planet of the Apps,” an unscripted show about developers competing for venture capital funding.