Apple recently signed an agreement with the French government to continue operating Apple TV+ there. The agreement is for Apple to comply with France’s 2021 SMAD law that requires entertainment companies to invest in local digital content.
The deal does not include content that will be shown in theaters. Apple will have to invest 20% of Apple TV+’s revenue from the previous year for all digital content that requires a monthly subscription, pay-per-view content, and free videos.
The deal is for 4 years, during which Apple will also have to invest 70% in the development of indie projects with the producers and creators of these projects holding the rights to the content. Apple will also have a quota that must be met within four years. One of these quotas is documentary and animated content.
At the time of writing, Apple TV+ already has three French-language projects for Apple TV+: Liaison, starring Eva Green and Vincent Cassel; La Maison, a series about a hit fashion brand; and the upcoming 6-episode horror series A L’ombre Des Forets. Although Apple TV+ is in Malaysia and the Apple Store is already open, there is still no information if Apple TV will also offer exclusive content for Malaysia or in the Malay language.