The Apple original restricted series ‘Defending Jacob’ featuring Chris Evans, has been released on Blu-ray and DVD this week. This makes it the first Apple TV+ original title to get a physical media disc release.
Defending Jacob appeared on Apple’s streaming service in April 2020, over a year prior. Released a month into worldwide lockdown, Defending Jacob is believed to have been a hit for Apple TV+ with audience demand matching the original set of launch shows.
The crime drama series stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and Jaeden Martell. Andy Barber (Evans) should protect his son (Martell) in a murder trial and puts forth an admirable attempt to demonstrate his honesty to the court. The story is based off a book of a similar name. Apple marked the show’s screenwriter, Mark Bomback, for an exclusive TV improvement deal following Defending Jacob’s success.
Given that Apple TV+ has been out for just about two years now, it appeared reasonable for expect that Apple had kept up with release exclusivity over its original TV shows and movies, requiring everybody wanting to watch to get an Apple TV+ subscription.
In any case, the physical media release of Defending Jacob by Paramount shows that this is not a strict hard-and-fast rule. Travel series Long Way Up is likewise advancing a disc release coming later in the year.
As a rule, you would expect that Apple would want to keep its content exclusive to its streaming service and no place else to support TV+ subscriptions. Be that as it may, Apple has never affirmed the nature of platform exclusivity. All things considered, Apple’s production manages its accomplices shift and it holds a bigger number of rights to some projects than others.
For this situation, clearly Paramount has held the physical media rights for Defending Jacob with the end goal for it to be made accessible on disc. It even incorporates beforehand inconspicuous bonus content and special features. The disc doesn’t seem to include any Apple branding whatsoever.
In this way, if there’s something on Apple TV+ that takes your extravagant yet you are opposed to signing up for ‘yet another’ streaming service, there’s presently some expectation that your #1 show could be made accessible somewhere else down the line.
