Apple is planning to release its streaming service Apple TV Plus by November 2019, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Citing “people familiar to the matter”, the report says that Apple’s also considering a subscription price of $9.99 per month (around £8.20 / AU$15), which would match the cost of Apple Music and Apple News Plus – though Apple Arcade looks set to undercut it with a subscription that’s half the price.
What’s coming to Apple TV Plus?
According to Bloomberg’s sources, the roll out of Apple TV Plus is “part of a drive to reach $50 billion in service sales by 2020”, suggesting that Apple has very high hopes indeed for its fledgling streaming platform.
To do that, Apple will likely have to poach a large proportion of Netflix’s 151 million users; and by extension, Apple TV Plus shows will need to be enticing enough to lure loyal Netflix and Amazon Prime Video users away.
The streaming service is set to offer exclusive shows, movies and documentaries from acclaimed filmmakers, including JJ Abrams, Steven Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan.
The company will reportedly “introduce a small selection of shows and then expand its catalog more frequently over several months”.
Apple TV Plus looks to be a star-studded affair in general, with Apple having just released its first full trailer for news set drama The Morning Show, which stars Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carrel, and Reese Witherspoon.
The drama looks to be a lot darker than we imagined, examining the complicated power dynamics between men and women in a bustling morning news show, with Carell and Aniston playing co-anchors.
The trailer opens to Aniston breaking the news that her co-anchor has been fired amid a scandal; the details of the scandal aren’t revealed in the trailer, but Carell is seen screaming at his TV that Aniston has “thrown me under the bus”.
Whether series like The Morning Show, as well Steven Spielberg’s anthology stories, and a collaboration between Prince Harry and Oprah will be enough to beat Netflix remains to be seen – at least we only have to wait until November to find out.
- Watch The Morning Show’s official trailer
- Need something to watch now? Here are the best Netflix shows
Via Bloomberg