The streaming landscape is becoming increasingly populated and the space is set to become even more competitive with Apple launching its Apple TV Plus streaming service later in 2019.
The Facts
When will it be launched?
While Apple has not officially confirmed an exact date for the launch of Apple TV Plus, it confirmed at its March 25 event that the service will launch sometime in the American Fall season – between September and November.
Apple has spent billions of dollars on developing original content with some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Jennifer Aniston, Reece Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Oprah Winfrey.
The announcement confirmed long-standing rumours of Apple making a big-budget play for a share of the lucrative streaming market, and the emphasis was very firmly on star power and the quality of content that will bring.
The announcement confirmed long-standing rumours of Apple making a big-budget play for a share of the lucrative streaming market, and the emphasis was very firmly on star power and the quality of content that will bring.
How will it be available?
The new service will be integrated into the existing Apple TV via an update to the TV app, and will also be available on Apple devices such as iPhones and iPads – as well as Mac computers for the first time. The service will also be made available via native apps on new smart TVs from Sony, LG and Samsung, and even on devices like the Amazon Fire TV and the popular Roku streaming boxes (versions of which are sold as Telstra TV in Australia).
What content will be included?
Apple reportedly spent $1bn (US) in 2018 on the development of its own video content in addition to expenditure on existing third party content.
Oprah Winfrey has been signed to a multi-year deal to develop content for Apple, along with a series developed by M. Night Shyamalan, a new drama series about an aspiring singer-songwriter produced by J.J Abrams and an exclusive Ed Sheeran documentary. The launch also highlighted other high-profile new shows and movies from a wide range of big names including Jason Momoa, Steve Carell, Chris Evans and Octavia Spencer.
Will it be available in Australia?
While details about the availability in Australia of Apple TV Plus are still yet to be finalised, Apple has tied the service to a revamp of its TV app, which is being expanded to over 100 countries from the 10 it’s currently available in (Australia is one of those). You can expect that all Apple’s original content will be available at launch worldwide, but any third-party content will depend on local streaming rights.
The Good
The Gotchas
How much will it cost?
It’s not yet known if the service will require a subscription or be made available free of charge as an incentive to purchase Apple products. Apple made no statement either way, but with the service being named with the word “Plus” we’d expect there will be a subscription fee of some kind, like there is now with Apple Music (and perhaps we’ll both services bundled together).
With the compatibility of various third party products, it’s likely that several other bundle and package options will be made available as well.
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