This week, Apple Inc. secured exclusive rights to a new series based on Carpool Karaoke, the skits made popular by James Corden on The Late Late Show, where celebrities drive around with the host singing along to popular music.
From Bloomberg:
The series will consist of 16 episodes, each with a celebrity riding along with a to-be-announced host, the companies said Tuesday in a statement. New episodes will debut weekly for #Apple Music subscribers in more than 100 countries.
The partnership is a first of its kind for Apple, and touted as a new exclusive show for Apple Music subscribers.
But what’s more interesting is how this partnership aligns with Apple’s foray into the auto market.
Carpool Karaoke + CarPlay
For one, the show is a natural fit for CarPlay, and it will undoubtedly be featured heavily in the series. It’s a safe bet that all of the music will be played via Apple Music on the #CarPlay console, and I expect we’ll see Siri featured regularly to show off voice commands for either audio playback or other in-car features.
While the partnership on Carpool Karaoke is sure to be a value-add for Apple Music subscribers, the move is also one that is intentionally giving Apple a platform to showcase CarPlay, its current offering in the car market.
Build Up to the Apple Car?
But it’s also not a stretch to expect this will be the beginning of auto-themed content into Apple’s entertainment offerings. It may be a bit early to link this to the rumoured #Apple Car, especially given that recent reports suggest the project is delayed until 2021, but in light of Apple’s $1bn investment earlier this year in Chinese auto sharing company Didi Chuxing, the company clearly has plans for the auto market beyond a simple in-car dashboard.
Carpool Karaoke is Apple’s first entertainment vehicle to showcase its auto offering, and I expect it won’t be the last before we see a vehicle rolling out of Cupertino.
