Apple hires former Disney and Quibi exec, likely to help Apple TV+ grow

Apple has reportedly hired former Disney and Quibi "dealmaker" Tim Connolly to its Apple TV division. The Telelgraph notes that the former executive's LinkedIn profile has been updated to reflect his new job.

Unfortunately, it doesn't specifically say what he will be doing as part of the Apple TV. But The Telegraph says that his former roles at both Disney and Quibi were all about bringing new content on board and setting up subscription bundles. Two things Apple TV+ would presumably benefit from in the future.

Mr Connolly helped launch the live TV offering from Disney's Hulu internet video service, striking deals that brought major networks on board. He also helped engineer a deal with Spotify to sell Hulu and the streaming service as a bundle.

He was one of the most senior executives at Quibi, the mobile-only streaming app led by Hollywood veteran Jeffrey Katzenberg and former HP and eBay boss Meg Whitman, running partnerships and advertising, but left before the service launched earlier this year.

Apple TV+ is said to be looking to increase its collection of first-party TV shows and movies while talk of subscription bundles continues. Deals that could include Apple TV Channels make sense, and that would presumably be right in Connolly's wheelhouse.