- Apple finally unveiled its long-rumored streaming TV service on Monday.
- The service is actually two services, named Apple TV Plus and Apple TV Channels.
- Apple didn’t announce pricing for the services.
Apple’s long-rumored, Netflix-like video streaming service was finally unveiled on Monday: it’s called Apple TV Plus, and a cavalcade of top-level Hollywood talent is producing content for the new service.
Celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, and J.J. Abrams were on hand alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook at Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters to announce new projects for the platform.
But that’s not all! Apple also announced a new service named Apple TV Channels, which offers a la carte access to a handful of different TV channels — both Channels and Plus are part of a major update coming to the Apple TV app. If it sounds like a lot, that’s because it is.
Here’s everything we know about Apple’s new TV streaming service:
1. Apple TV Plus is similar to Netflix, Hulu, and other paid streaming services … sort of.
Getty/Michael Short/Stringer
Let’s start with the most straightforward part of Apple’s plan: TV Plus.
This is the service where Apple’s new shows will debut and live. It’s most directly comparable to Netflix or HBO Go — a monthly subscription service that comes with original content, sans advertisements.
Unlike Netflix and HBO Go, Apple TV Plus has no licensed content. It’s a place exclusively for shows and movies that Apple itself produces (we’ll get to those in a moment).
Apple didn’t give a price for the service just yet, but it did offer a few more details: It’ll be ad-free, available in over 100 countries, and it’s scheduled to arrive at some point this fall.
2. Apple’s other push into TV is a new service named Apple TV Channels.
Apple
Whether you pay for Apple TV Plus or not, the Apple TV app is getting a major update to add a new section: Channels.
In Channels, you can build a sort of a la carte TV package by picking from a handful of different TV channels and digital services. Maybe you only want Starz, Cinemax, and ESPN? You could conceivably pay for only those channels through Apple TV Channels.
It’s not clear how much each channel will cost, or if getting them through Apple will represent a savings over subscribing directly.
What Apple is offering is standardization. No matter which channels you pay for, Apple says you’ll get access to their libraries, "on demand, available on and offline, with incredible picture quality and sound."
Additionally, you can plug in services like PlayStation Vue, and even a traditional cable subscription from the likes of Spectrum, Optimum, and more.
3. The Apple TV app is coming to a mess of new devices, from the Mac to competitors like Roku and Samsung.
Apple
The Apple TV app is something you can already have if you’re an iPhone or iPad user, but Apple intends its TV service to extend far beyond its own hardware.
To that end, Apple is putting the Apple TV app on Samsung smart TVs starting this spring, and it’s scheduled to arrive on Amazon’s Fire TV, LG TVs, Roku-powered TVs, Sony TVs, and Vizio TVs "in the future."
That’s a major move for Apple, and an open concession to the much larger world of TV owners who don’t have Apple’s set-top box, the Apple TV.
Of course, if you’re an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV owner, you’ll simply receive an update this May that will add Apple TV Channels. TV Plus isn’t expected to arrive until some point in the fall, also as part of the Apple TV app.
Another first: Apple is bringing its Apple TV app to Macs in the fall. There doesn’t appear to be a way to access Apple TV Plus or Apple TV Channels from a web browser.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Apple has unveiled its long-awaited streaming TV service, Apple TV Plus. Here’s how it compares to the other big streaming services, from Netflix to Prime Video.
- All the celebrities and big names in attendance at Apple’s big March event
- Watch Oprah and Tim Cook debut Apple’s original-video service: Apple TV+
SEE ALSO: IT’S HERE: Apple finally unveils its streaming TV service, Apple TV Plus
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Ben Gilbert)