Apple announced its TV+ service earlier this year, but we still don’t officially know much more than the names of a a handful of shows.
But this week a report from Bloomberg, citing anonymous Apple employees as source, claims to shed light on a lot of the unknown details of the upcoming streaming service. And if the whispers are true, it’s not looking too appealing just yet.
Apple has an uphill battle to successfully market yet another subscription service to the masses, especially in a crowded field where big players like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video dominate. This report suggests that Apple’s TV+ service is likely to clock in at $9.99/month – that’s in line with Apple Music and Apple News, but slightly more than Netflix and Amazon’s entry-level pricing. And unlike those services, Apple doesn’t look likely to include licensed video content from other providers. Home-grown shows only for Apple, which could prove a hard sell when it hasn’t made very many yet.
In fact, if the report it correct, Apple will launch TV+ with just five original shows to its name. With a reported $6bn spent on programming, we can expect many more shows to follow in close succession, but there’s no denying five shows is a scant offering. Unless, of course, they score well with critics and become must-watch TV. Here’s hoping the quality is high!
The flagship show of Apple TV+ is The Morning Show, a Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Anniston vehicle about the drama and scandals surrounding a team of early morning news reporters. This at least is something we know a little about, with a promising trailer already released.
Finally, the report suggests Apple is planning an early November release for TV+, in part to beat Disney’s new streaming service to the punch. Disney+ will cost just $6.99/month and offer hundreds of movies and shows from day one, including a great deal of content from the Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel universes, plus the full range of animated Disney classics, and the entire Simpsons library. That’s a lot for Apple to compete with!
Still, Apple is very likely to offer free trials when the service launches, and with any luck it will soon offer bundles for anyone subscribing to multiple Apple services. We’d love to see a combined Music, News, Arcade, and TV+ package for $19.99/month – now that would be a tempting proposition!