Report: Apple TV+ show producers were told to avoid portraying China in a bad light

BuzzFeed News

Apple has been known to appease the Chinese government, but Buzzfeed reports that the appeasement extends to Apple's slate of TV shows. "In early 2018 as development on Apple’s slate of exclusive Apple TV+ programming was underway, the company’s leadership gave guidance to the creators of some of those shows to avoid portraying China in a poor light," write Buzzfeed reporters Alex Katrowitz and John Paczkowski. "Sources in position to know said the instruction was communicated by Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of internet software and services, and Morgan Wandell, its head of international content development. It was part of Apple's ongoing efforts to remain in China’s good graces after a 2016 incident in which Beijing shut down Apple’s iBooks Store and iTunes Movies six months after they debuted in the country." Apple declined to comment. Buzzfeed's report comes amid the NBA-China Houston Rockets general manager's Daryl Morey's tweet in support of Hong Kong protesters. It also comes one week after South Park aired an episode taking to task American companies like Google, Disney and the NBA, accusing them of being willing to compromise their moral integrity for Chinese money.