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Apple’s upcoming TV show will include an actual ‘escalator pitch’

Apple’s upcoming TV show will include an actual ‘escalator pitch’

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Launching this spring

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The premise of Apple’s upcoming TV show, Planet of the Apps, has been known for awhile now: app makers will pitch their iOS app ideas for a $10 million pot of venture capital funding, some mentorship, and the chance to have their apps seen by millions of Apple TV users.

Turns out there’s an actual elevator pitch involved — although it’s not an elevator, it’s an escalator, as the first trailer for Planet of the Apps shows.

Apple executive Eddy Cue and Propagate Content’s Ben Silverman, who is co-producing the show with Apple, revealed at Recode’s Code Media conference earlier today that the show will include an escalator ride, during which the app developers have to pitch their apps. At the end of the escalator ride, a panel of expert judges — which include Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Will.i.am — will swipe right or left to indicate whether they’re interested in the app.

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It’s a little gimmicky, for sure, although not entirely antithetical to reality TV programming. Cue said that the show would become available sometime this spring, and that it would be entirely exclusive to Apple Music, Apple’s own music streaming app.

“It will premiere and be an exclusive on Apple Music,” Cue said. There are also no plans to run ads on the show, although viewers can expect to maybe see some Apple ads in there. After all, the show is basically a commercial for the App Store.

Cue also noted that Apple Music is the "fastest-growing subscription service in 15 months," with more than 20 million subscribers.