Apple TV Plus: All We Know So Far

On Tuesday, Apple finally explained Apple TV Plus during its iPhone 11 event. Apple TV Plus, which has cost the iPhone maker $6 billion to work with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, will launch on November 1 with a monthly cost of $5 (roughly Rs 356). For those who buy a new Apple product, you will have one free year for this service while other customers will have a free trial for seven days.

Apple TV Plus includes Apple’s original movies and TV shows. Its subscribers will be able to download original content for watching offline. At the event, the company showed a new trailer for one of its originals – See. Previously, it already released trailers for three other shows and more titles will roll out in the coming time.

About this service, Tim Cook even said that it’s not like whatever done before. Now, here’s all we now so far.

Offerings

This is a subscription service that lets people watch Apple’s original movies and series exclusively. And it won’t display ads.

Apple will not release all the seasons at once, but it instead will premiere three episodes followed by a new one each week, the company says. However, it will drop full seasons for some series at one time.

Users can also access Apple TV Plus through Apple TV app, where they will find the service next to Starz, HBO, as well as other subscription services.

The service will come to over 100 countries, it will be part of the family sharing feature that lets users share a plan with five family members.

However, it mains unknown whether Apple TV Plus will include licensed movies and shows or not. And there hasn’t been any information about if the company will package this service with others like Apple Music, News Plus, and Arcade.

Cost

The monthly cost is $5 (Rs 356) and users have a free trial for seven days. In addition, if you buy a new Mac, iPod Touch, Apple TV, iPad, or iPhone starting Tuesday, you will have a year using this service for free.

Apple applies the free-year offer for new as well as refurbished models, which include devices under the iPhone Upgrade Program. Additionally, this offer isn’t limited to any sales channel, which means you can buy the product anywhere and get the offer, such as Apple Store and resellers. The offer is effective in every country where Apple TV Plus is available.

In comparison, Disney Plus will come out this November at $7 (Rs 499), HBO currently costs from $9 to $15 (Rs 642 – Rs 1,070). Netflix, currently the biggest subscription streaming service in the world, costs between $9 and $16 (Rs 642 and Rs 1,141 respectively).

Launch time

The launch date for Apple TV Plus is November 1, in over 100 countries and regions, according to the tech giant.

Apple said that the originals will have subtitles in almost 40 languages, which include closed captions for users with hearing problems. In addition, movies in series in this service will have audio descriptions in 8 languages.

Streaming devices

Any device can work with this service provided that it has the Apple TV app.

Also, it will be available on several devices of competitors such as Samsung’s smart TVs, Roku, Sony’s smart TVs, Amazon’s Fire TV devices, as well as smart TVs from Vizio and LG. Users can also watch the content at tv.apple.com.

However, the Apple TV app is not accessible anywhere else besides iPads and iPhones, which means subscribers without an iPad or iPhone will have to stream through the web.

Shows and movies

The shows cover a number of categories like documentary, comedy, drama. Apple is spending a lot of money to include some of the biggest names in its originals such as Oprah Winfrey, J.J. Abrams, and Steven Spielberg.

At launch, there will be nine titles, which are:

• The Elephant Queen, a documentary about a mother elephant
• Snoopy in Space, an animated series
• Ghostwriter, a children program about four young people teaming up with a ghost in a nearby bookstore
• Helpsters, a spin-off of Sesame Street
• A program that features Oprah Winfrey
• For All Mankind, which is about the space race
• Dickinson, a comedy about a young poet starring Hailee Steinfeld
• The Morning Show, a drama that’s about a morning news broadcast featuring Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon.
• See, a thriller starring Jason Momoa

Within months after launch, there will be another five titles, including:

• Hala, a movie Apple picked up from Sundance
• The Banker, a movie based on a true story starring Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie
• Little America, written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
• Truth Be Told, this is a mystery drama
• Servant, which is a thriller

Nevertheless, Apple hasn't announced release plans for other originals. In addition, it remains unclear how the company will add more films. It has partnered with the A24 film studio, which is known for movies like Moonlight and Room, Ex Machina. As part of this partnership, we will see a film named On the Rocks starring Rashida Jones and Bill Murray

Apple has been under scrutiny for restricting creators from producing edgy content and tending to make them all family-friendly. But this is not necessary to make the service successful. Disney built a leading media empire on it; however, edgy shows have helped drive interest among people. It looks like Apple's strategy may restrict its own competitive advantage on that front.

However, that can’t stop the company from eyeing awards. It’s hiring strategists for crafting campaigns for awards such as Emmys and Oscars, a report says.

Rivals

Apple TV Plus is likely to come out at a time when all major media properties are introducing their own streaming options, including DC Universe, Netflix, NBCUniversal, and WarnerMedia.

Apparently, Apple’s premium video will become the direct competitor with the current popular services such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu, as well as other streaming services that offer high-quality, on-demand contents.

If the tech giant expands to bundling more digital networks, Amazon Channels will become the key rival for it. It will also have to compete with AT&T-owned VRV, a wireless firm that offers streaming services. It will even have to go against traditional cable.

Interestingly, as Apple is diving into original programming, other companies are pushing their own streaming services. For example, on November 12, Disney will roll out a service costing $7 per month, dubbed Disney Plus, for streaming all of its blockbuster movies such as Marvel original series and Star Wars. While Apple has nine titles, Disney Plus will offer 300+ movies for streaming, not to mention thousands of TV episodes.

Why does Apple want to become Netflix?

The company is investing in original content as this could be the key factor to attract more people to buy iPhones and other Apple products. The iPhone, accounting for over 50 percent of Apple’s sales, is still the most important product for the company, it even helped make Apple the first company to be worth $1 trillion.

However, the tech giant working hard to double its revenues in services to $50 billion by 2021.

The first step of Apple into subscriptions businesses is Apple Music, but that has the same content as other music services. Apple Music has been successful mostly because it comes with iPhones that have already made it to millions of people across the globe. It hasn’t had success in making people buy Apple devices. Hopefully, exclusive content featuring big stars and creators can be the game-changer.