Apple CEO Tim Cook has unveiled the company’s latest whizz-bang invention – Apple TV+ – its long-awaited TV streaming service that some are already calling a “Netflix killer”.
Although Cook was a little sketchy on exact details, Apple TV+ will be an ad-free subscription model, with everything available for online and offline viewing, available in more than 100 countries, including Australia.
Apple TV+ is due to land in or around September and, thus far, the company has been suitably cagey on how much it will cost to subscribe to.
Along a similar vein as Netflix, Apple is already working on a suite of shows – costing over $US1 billion – that will be exclusive to Apple TV+ subscribers.
Teasers for the shows have been doing the rounds for about 12 months now and include an Amazing Stories reboot produced by Steven Spielberg, an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation books and a drama called The Morning Show starring Hollywood heavyweights Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell. Check out the impressive promo trailer below:
https://youtu.be/Bt5k5Ix_wS8
Although exact details of how Apple TV+ will actually work are still under wraps, some experts are predicting that Apple will provide content for free and, in turn, is actually building an Amazon-style store of content for its 1.4 billion device users. The more content its device users get through Apple, the more it’s set to make in commissions.
“We designed a new TV experience where you can pay for only the channels you want, all in one app, with the password you already have,” said Apple’s Peter Stern.
“Watch everything on demand and ad-free. Download your shows to take with you anywhere. Enjoy the highest quality picture and sound available,” he said.
Interestingly, Apple has made the TV app available to owners of smart TVs made by its arch rivals such as Sony and Samsung.
Adding to Netflix’s headaches, it is not participating in Apple TV+ or selling subscriptions through the app store – an apparent protest at the 30 per cent cut Apple takes whenever it sells a subscription apps through its own platform.
