Apple TV Plus: all you need to know about Apple's $ 5 a month streaming service

Tuesday, Apple finally explained what Apple TV Plus (well almost). With an announced budget of $ 6 billion to connect some of Hollywood's biggest stars, Apple TV Plus will be launched on November 1st for $ 5 a month. People who buy a new Apple gadget to watch for free for a yearwhile everyone qualifies for a free seven-day trial.

Apple TV Plus, the Netflix subscription service featuring the TV shows and original films, was announced for the first time at an event that drew stars in March, but the company remained silent on crucial details iPhone event Tuesday.

Apple TV Plus will offer the ability to download originals to watch offline. Its nine launch titles include a drama starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston and a post-apocalyptic thriller with Jason Momoa. After the launch, there are five other titles that Apple has confirmed that will be added in the coming months. "Most" Apple TV Plus series will premiere with three episodes available immediately, followed by a new episode a week, Apple said. Complete seasons of "certain" series will be available at one time.

Apple released Tuesday a new trailer for one of these original, See, the Momoa thriller. This follows the previously released trailers for three more shows that will be available at launch: The Morning Show, a drama on a morning news show featuring WitherspoonAniston and Steve Carell; Dickinson, a comedy about the poet Emily Dickinson with Hailee Steinfeld; and For All Mankind, a series of alternative stories from the creator of Battlestar Galactica that presents a reality in which Russia won the space race.

Other programs available on Apple TV Plus at launch are confirmed: a series featuring Oprah Winfrey; Helpsters, a spin-off of Sesame Street; a children's program called Ghostwriter; animated series Snoopy in Space; and The Elephant Queen, a documentary film acquired by the company at the Toronto Film Festival.

Apple CEO Tim Cook does not play modesty. He announced that Apple TV Plus was "different from anything that was done before" in March. Here is everything we know.

What does the Apple TV service look like?

Apple TV Plus will be a subscription-based streaming service that allows you to view only the original series and movies of the company.

Like Netflix, there will be no ads.

Unlike Netflix, it will not come out a full season of its broadcasts in one go. "Most" Apple TV Plus series will air three episodes, followed by a new episode every week, Apple said. Complete seasons of "certain" series will drop everything at the same time, however.

Apple TV Plus also resides in the Apple TV application. There, Apple TV Plus will sit next to other video subscriptions such as HBO or Starz. (But not the biggest, Netflix.)

Apple TV Plus will be available in more than 100 countries and will also be part of the Apple Family Sharing feature, which allows you, as well as up to five family members, to share a package. .

We still have some big questions. We do not know if the Apple service will also have a library of licensed shows and movies, although that seems unlikely. And we have not heard yet about whether Apple will associate Apple TV Plus with other subscriptions, such as Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus and Apple Music, in a discounted price to the Disney Plus to be packed with Hulu and ESPN Plus.

How much will it cost?

Apple TV Plus will cost $ 5 a month and will offer a free seven day trial. People who buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod Touch or Mac from Tuesday will be eligible for a free one year subscription. Owners of current Apple devices do not have grandfathered rights.

The free year offer applies to new and refurbished models, including iPhone upgrade program devices, and is not limited to a specific sales channel. It therefore applies to purchases in the Apple Store and at resellers. It will be available in all countries where Apple TV Plus is launched.

In comparison, Disney Plus, the entertainment giant 's highly anticipated streaming service, will be launched on November 12 for $ 7 a month – with an extensive library of movies and shows available immediately. Streaming services based on cable networks, such as Showtime or HBO Now, typically range from $ 9 to $ 15 per month. The smaller niche streaming services often cost around $ 5 or a few dollars.

And Netflix, the largest online streaming service in the world, offers its most popular package at $ 13 per month in the United States; it offers other levels at $ 9 and $ 16 a month.

Free trials are the industry standard: most video streaming services offer free introductory periods to new members. But the free one-year period offered to gadget owners by Apple is particularly long. But the tactic worked well for Apple Music: Apple launched its music service with an extended free trial of six months, and Apple Music quickly became the second most popular music service in the world by subscribers behind Spotify.

When will it be launched?

Apple TV Plus will be launched on November 1 in more than 100 countries and regions, the company said.

The company announced that its originals would be subtitled or dubbed in nearly 40 languages, including closed captioning. Apple TV Plus Series and Movies will also be available with audio descriptions in eight languages.

Which devices will be able to broadcast it?

Apple's programming will be available on all Apple devices with the new Apple TV app.

In addition, Apple TV Plus will likely be available on certain competitors' devices. The Apple TV app is available on Samsung's smart TVs and is expected to be available this year on Roku, Amazon's Fire TV devices and smart TVs from Sony, LG and Vizio. Subscribers will also be able to watch Apple TV Plus on the web at tv.apple.com.

However, the Apple TV app is not available on any mobile device, with the exception of iPhones and iPads. This means that Apple TV Plus subscribers with phones other than Apple will have to stream to their mobile phones via the web rather than through an app.

What shows and movies will he have?

The shows of Apple cover the whole gamut of dramas, comedies, documentaries – even undefined contracts with one big star. It's also a big expense to get the best Hollywood names: Oprah WinfreySteven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams and other heavyweights are on board. CNET holds an account of over 30 Apple shows known to date, and he has details on each program.

At launch, Apple TV Plus has nine titles:

• See, a post-apocalyptic thriller with Jason Momoa
• The Morning Show, a drama on a morning news show starring Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell
• Dickinson, a comedy about the poet Emily Dickinson in a young woman with Hailee Steinfeld
• For all humanity, a new version of the race to space
• A program featuring Oprah Winfrey
• Helpsters, a spin-off from Sesame Street
• Ghostwriter, a program for children out of four young people who team up with a ghost in a neighborhood bookstore
• Snoopy in Space animation series
• The elephant queen, a documentary film about an elephant mother

Apple has announced that five more titles will be added in the months following its launch:

• Servant, a thriller by Mr. Night Shyamalan, director of Sixth Sense
• Truth Be Told, a mysterious drama starring Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul
• Little America, from Husband Writers Team Kumail Nanjiani (you may know him as Dinesh in Silicon Valley from HBO) and Emily V. Gordon
• The Banker, a film about a true story starring Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson
• Hala, a film produced by Jada Pinkett Smith that Apple picked up at Sundance

But the release plans for other Apple originals remain unclear. We still do not know when we'll see shows such as: Mythic Quest, a comedy by Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, who has created and starred in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Amazing Stories, a series of anthologies by Steven Spielberg; and Central Park, a comic musical comedy from the creator of Bob's Burgers and filled with voices from stars such as Josh Gad and Kristen Bell of Frozen, as well as Leslie Odom Jr. and Daveed Diggs of Hamilton.

We do not know much about how Apple will continue to record movies. Apple has partnered with the A24 movie studio, known for its films such as Ex Machina, Moonlight and Room. The partnership will include a film titled On the Rocks with Bill Murray and Rashida Jones and directed by Sofia Coppola. Last year, at the Toronto Film Festival, Apple also purchased the rights to Wolfwalkers, an animated film by Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions.

Apple was the subject of an early review because of reports it is restrict its creators to make edgy content and keep all its programming friendly for the family. Family-friendly programming is not necessarily an obstacle to success – Disney has built one of the most prominent media empires – but uplifting shows have led other streaming services to rewards that create interest. Apple's strategy could make it competitive on this front.

But that will not stop Apple from trying to win prizes, apparently. The company hires strategists to help design rewards campaigns such as the Oscars and Emmys, according to a report.

Who will Apple measure up for your dollars?

The next service from Apple will be launched at a time when, apparently, all major media offer their own streaming option, from that of DC Universe. comic rate has a planned Disney offer, not to mention the faithful as Netflix. Meanwhile, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia, the owner of HBO, both build their own streaming service.

It is clear that an Apple service offering premium videos of $ 6 billion will compete with companies such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and others that broadcast on-demand and high quality productions.

If Apple expanded its business to include other digital networks, then Amazon Channels would be its main rival. Apple would also be competing with wireless companies such as VRV from AT & T, a niche-type streaming services cooperative.

A chain bundling model would even put Apple in competition with traditional cable.

Interestingly, Apple is increasingly interested in original programming as other giants develop their own ambitions for streaming service.

Disney will launch a $ 7-a-month Netflix service called November 12th. This digital service, called Disney Plus, will serve as a base for streaming all of Disney's blockbuster movies, several original Star Wars and Marvel series, and other programs. Compared to the nine Apple titles at launch, Disney Plus will have at least 300 movies to air and thousands of TV episodes.

Apple is a gadget giant. Why does he want to become Netflix?

Have not you heard? Everyone wants to be the Netflix of something. (Podcasts! Fitness! Clothing! Games! Same demand management.)

Apple is interested in the original video because it could encourage people to buy more iPhones and other gadgets. You can not exaggerate the importance of the iPhone for Apple. The phone, one of the most popular in the world, still accounts for more than half of its sales and has played a crucial role in Apple's march to become the first US company worth $ 1 trillion.

But Apple is about to double the turnover of its services to reach $ 50 billion by 2021.

Apple quickly established good faith in subscriptions with Apple Music. But the content on Apple Music is essentially the same as on all other music services. They all have tens of millions of songs. Apple Music has been very successful because of its presence on the iPhone, already in the pockets of millions of people. In the other direction, success was not as great. The purchase of the latest Apple gadget was a lure.

An original video of big stars and creators that you can not look anywhere else could be different.

Apple clearly has a presentiment.

Originally published on September 8, 2018 and updated as new information is revealed.