Apple unveiled its new streaming platform, Apple TV+, at an event Monday. The tech giant will produce original content to compete with sites like Netflix and Hulu. Updates to Apple services including the App Store, Apple Pay and iNews were also announced.
Apple is putting a lot of weight behind the idea that it’s helping people tell amazing stories, and it’s doing so with original programming from a wealth of creators. The company trotted out a whole bunch of A-listers in a hype video and in the audience — including Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and J.J. Abrams — to give us an idea of what to expect.
https://youtu.be/RrdbT4hpwBk?t=100
Here’s how Apple announced the first batch of Apple TV+ original shows:
- Spielberg briefly took the stage to announce the revival of Amazing Stories, an anthology series he will be bringing to Apple TV+.
- Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell announced a new drama/comedy called The Morning Show.
- Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard announced a new science fiction series called See, about a society built by the blind.
- Kumail Nanjiani revealed Little America, an anthology series focusing on the plight of American immigrants.
- Big Bird — yes, Big Bird — popped up to promote a new preschool show called Helpsters.
- J.J. Abrams and Sara Bareilles announced a new series called Little Voice about being an up-and-coming performer.
- Oprah wrapped up the show, revealing that she’s working on a pair of documentaries for the service.
Apple TV+ will be available this fall in over 100 countries, though Apple has yet to reveal any pricing information. The company confirmed it will be subscription based and ad-free.
Along with these new Apple-exclusive shows, Apple is further fleshing out its Apple TV app with a feature called Apple TV Channels which allows you to pick and choose channels depending on your tastes, rather than subscribing to a massive chunk of channels like you’re forced to via a traditional cable provider.
This includes premium content providers like HBO and Showtime, all of which is aggregated into one place, rather than sending you to each individual app. It can also loop in programming from Amazon Prime Video and Hulu if you have a subscription.
Apple also announced that the company is bringing this new Apple TV app to various third party devices like Roku and Amazon’s Fire gadgets, as well as smart TVs from Samsung and the like.
