BUSINESS NEWS
Apple TV+ service kicks off 11/1 for $4.99 monthly, but only 9 shows
Jefferson Graham
USA TODAY
Published 3:57 PM EDT Sep 10, 2019
Apple looks to take on Disney and other companies with a subscription service set to launch Nov. 1 for $4.99 monthly.
Though that’s a good deal cheaper than Netflix (which starts at $9.99 monthly) or Disney+ (launching Nov. 12 for $6.99 monthly), Apple announced only nine shows available for viewing at launch.
At a media event in Cupertino, California, Apple CEO Tim Cook said more shows would be offered in the coming months. Industry leader Netflix is known for its bulk, offering hundreds of movies and TV shows, as does Amazon Prime and Hulu.
He said the three trailers for new Apple TV+ shows, which debuted this summer, have been viewed more than 100 million times.
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Cook called the pricing “crazy. … It’s the price of one movie rental.”
Headliners of the Apple TV programs include Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
The complete roster:
•“See,” a drama set in the future when the population is blind, starring Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Alfre Woodard.
•“The Morning Show,” a drama with Witherspoon and Aniston.
•“Dickinson,” a series about poet Emily Dickinson.
•“For All Mankind,” a reimagining of the space program.
•“Helpsters,” a children’s series from the makers of “Sesame Street.”
•“Snoopy in Space” brings the popular Peanuts character to Apple and outer space.
•“Ghostwriter,” an update on the 1990s-era PBS kids series.
•“The Elephant Queen,” a documentary about the race to save elephants.
•Oprah Winfrey will join Apple with a new version of her book club.
Waiting in the wings from Apple will be a thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan, a drama with Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad” and a drama with Samuel L. Jackson about the civil rights struggles of the 1950s.
Viewers will be able to watch via the Apple TV streaming box and on Apple devices. The service will be included in new Samsung TVs and will be available on Amazon Fire TV and Roku streaming players “in the near future,” along with apps for Sony and Vizio TVs.
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