Screenshot via The Late Late Show with James Corden
First Lady Michelle Obama, Missy Elliott, and host James Corden in an episode of "Carpool Karaoke."
Variety reports that Apple Music has emerged as the buyer for the series, which is a spinoff of a segment on CBS' "The Late Late Show with James Corden."
For the initiated, the series involves Corden picking up a celebrity guest to ride along with him in a compact car while singing their and others' hit songs - past guests have included Adele, Justin Bieber and most recently, First Lade Michelle Obama. According to Variety, the series has helped boost sales and streaming for those songs that are performed on the segment.
"Carpool Karaoke" will be available on Apple Music worldwide, but it's unclear whether the show will still be available on YouTube - and fans are not pleased. The episode featuring Michelle Obama already has more than 32 million views since it was posted on July 20, which means there's a huge following for the show - one that may not want to pay for an Apple Music subscription to watch the show.
Jillian D'Onfro/Business Insider
Diehard fans of the show may not be able to watch it for free anymore.
The music giant has licensed 16 episodes at a half-hour each - current episodes are more like 10 or 15 minutes - that will be produced by Corden and Ben Winston, the executive producer of "The Late Late Show." A different host will be cast later.
Apple did not immediately return a request for comment.