Apple TV+ will launch in over 100 countries, including Canada, starting Nov. 1 at an introductory price of $5.99/month (CAD).
Billed as the first all-original video streaming service, subscribers can watch Apple TV+ both online and off, ad-free, on the Apple TV app. Apple TV+ will also be available on select 2018, 2019 and newer Samsung smart TVs, and on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO platforms in the future. Customers can also sign up to watch on the web at tv.apple.com.
Apple is also hoping to draw viewers by offering free subscriptions to those who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch, as of Sept. 10, who will enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share one Apple TV+ subscription.
Apple TV+ original programming at launch is headlined by The Morning Show, co-executive produced by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Starring Steve Carrell, the show explores the world and egos of morning TV news.
Other offerings including dark, but comedic coming-of-age series Dickinson; See, starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, set 600 years in the future after a virus has decimated humankind and rendered the remaining population blind; Helpsters, a new children’s series from the makers of Sesame Street; Snoopy in Space, a new original from Peanuts Worldwide and DHX Media; and Oprah Winfrey in conversation with authors as she expands her book club to the platform.
“With Apple TV+, we are presenting all-original stories from the best, brightest and most creative minds, and we know viewers will find their new favourite show or movie on our service,” said Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video, in a release. “Each Apple TV+ original offers its own unique story, fresh perspective and powerful message — all meant to entertain, connect and inspire cultural conversations.”
At launch, most Apple TV+ series will premiere with three episodes, with one new episode set to roll out each week. Other series will debut with the full season available all at once.
All programming will be subtitled and/or dubbed in nearly 40 languages, including Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (SDH) or closed captioning. Apple TV+ series and movies will also be available with audio descriptions in eight languages.
Apple says new originals will be added to the app each month, with forthcoming series including Servant, a new psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan; Truth Be Told, starring Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul, exploring America’s obsession with true crime podcasts; and The Banker, a feature film inspired by a true story, that stars Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson as African American entrepreneurs who try to circumvent the racial limitations of the 1950s and provide housing loans to the African American community in Jim Crow Texas.
Apple TV+ joins other new services Apple Arcade, purported to be the world’s first game subscription service; Apple News+, which brings together over 300 magazines, newspapers and digital publishers within the Apple News app; Apple Music; and Apple Pay, a new mobile, contactless payment system using Apple devices.
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