Apple Music polishes its appeal with Carpool Karaoke series

Talk show host James Corden (left) and LeBron James are shown during the taping of a new episode of Carpool Karaoke: The Series, available on Apple Music beginning Aug 8, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Want to hear Alicia Keys serenading a woman at a launderette? That and other scenarios are some of the reasons Apple hopes viewers will pay for Apple Music as it launches new show Carpool Karaoke: The Series.

It hopes that a recognisable show and slew of A-list celebrities will help the world's largest technology company stand out in a saturated television market.

Carpool Karaoke is based on the popular segment from CBS' The Late, Late Show With James Corden, in which the talk-show host joins guests such as Adele in sing-a-longs while driving.

Apple Music costs US$9.99 (S$13.60) a month for an individual membership and has 27 million subscribers.

Corden, who appears in some episodes of Carpool Karaoke, said partnering the technology company was a "no-brainer". The series offered a chance to include celebrities whom he said had asked to do the segment on The Late, Late Show.

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