Could Apple produced TV shows and movies be the big thing to come out of Cupertino? Yes, according to an exclusive article published by Variety.

The report says that the tech colossus has been testing the waters by speaking with various Hollywood executives to see who might want to come onboard.

Apple already has a strong living room presence thanks to its Apple TV streaming box. It would make sense for the company to start filling the device with original programming to help set it apart from a crowded field that includes competitors like Roku, Google Chromecast, and the Amazon Fire.

Variety says that Apple's goal is to have an original content division at par with that of Netflix - the market's current standard for online programming. Their sources says that Apple reportedly tried to enter the race for the free agent trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, the former hosts of the BBC's wildly successful motoring show Top Gear. The offer Apple made was described as 'unprecedented', but it seems it wasn't enough to trump Amazon, who secured the threesome's services last July.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings doesn't seem to worry about this development. He recently told CNN:

"Other people are doing shows too. HBO is doing shows, FX are doing shows ... so the fact that additional tech companies may be doing shows, that's really not that big a deal given the total number of shows being produced around the world." 

Apple has already turned the music world on its head, first with iTunes and the iPod, and now with its Apple Music and Beats One Radio streaming service. This time however, they won't be first to the punch. Aside from Netflix and Amazon, companies like Hulu, Sony, and Yahoo have already staked their claim in the field.

Google may also jump into the mix as it looks to upgrade Youtube with some original content of its own. The Variety story mentions that the company recently lured away MTV exec Susanna Daniels to spearhead its efforts.