Apple has long been rumored to be planning to disrupt the TV industry with its own video streaming service, with the company having reportedly sought deals with ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox in 2015. It was also reported in June that the Cupertino giant was planning a bundled digital subscription service for News, Music, and TV.
While there"s no word yet from Apple on when and where it will supposedly launch its TV subscription service, a new report indicates that the company may be planning to roll it out in more than 100 countries. However, that won"t seem to happen upon launch, as The Information reports that the streaming service will be released first in the U.S. in the first half of 2019 and worldwide in the following months.
According to the report, which cites people privy to Apple"s plan, owners of the company"s devices will have free access to the original programs included in the service while users will also be able to buy subscriptions to third-party TV networks. Additionally, the tech giant is reportedly investing $1 billion in original content acquisitions and programming this year, including a deal with Oprah Winfrey and Sesame Workshop. However, that amount pales in comparison with Netflix"s planned $8 billion in funding for original TV shows and movies this year.
With Netflix already available globally and Amazon Prime Video for Xbox One having launched worldwide late last year, it"s interesting to see how Apple will try to differentiate its supposed offering to stand out from the competition.
Source: The Information (Paywall)