Apple plans to join the ranks of HBO, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon by creating original content for television shows and movies, The Wall Street Journal reports.

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According to the newspaper, Apple "has been in talks with veteran producers in recent months about buying rights to scripted television programs. It also has approached experienced marketing executives at studios and networks to discuss hiring them to promote its content." Movie talks apparently are "more preliminary."

Apple's reasoning for this sudden move appears to be based on low sales of its hardware over the past several years. Sales of services like Apple Music have been on the upswing over several quarters, so it would make sense to invest in this profitable venture.

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The plan is for Apple to use a slow rollout to make sure the company doesn't incur heavy expenses in the beginning stages. Netflix and Amazon made similar moves when they began producing their own original programming.

Apple's new service reportedly will be bundled with its Apple Music subscription, which costs $6 per month for an individual plan and $9 per month for a family plan.

(via Venture Beat)