Apple will launch its video streaming service, Apple TV+, in November and is targeting a price of $9.99 per month, according to Bloomberg. The company has also increased content spending by $5 billion, according to FT.
Apple TV+ rumors
Apple officially announced its Apple TV+ streaming service in March but the company has so far refrained from commenting on launch and pricing details other than saying that it will launch in over 100 countries.
Bloomberg is now reporting that Apple TV+ will launch in over 150 countries in November and that Apple is weighing a price of $9.99 per month together with some form of free trial. If true, this would make it considerably more expensive than the upcoming Disney+ service and more or less on par with Netflix.
At launch, the streaming service will offer original shows such as The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, See with Jason Momoa, Truth Be Told with Octavia Spencer, and a documentary series called Home. Apple has also partnered with Oprah and others. More original shows and movies will be added in the months following the launch.
Apple ups content spending
Financial Times is adding some extra flavor to the story by reporting that Apple has increased content spending from its initialt budget of $1 billion to a much larger $6 billion in an effort to compete with Netflix, Disney, and others. Netflix is expected to spend upwards of $15 billion on content in 2019.
Apple is reportedly spending $300 million on the first two seasons of The Morning Show, which would, on a per episode basis, make it more expensive than the final season of HBO's Game of Thrones. In addition, Apple is also spending $15 million per episode for See, again more than Game of Thrones. The company has released its first two trailers that are embedded below.
The Apple TV+ streaming service will be available through Apple's TV app on the Apple TV box, iPhone, iPad and Mac as well as TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio along with platforms like Roku and FireTV. The company is expected to announce full details at its annual fall event next month.
- Source: Bloomberg, Financial Times
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