Apple officially announced Apple TV Plus, Netflix’s newest streaming service competitor, during the latest iPhone event. The platform will debut just weeks before Disney+, launching on November 1 at $5 a month.
Apple CEO Tim Cook did not release many details about the new service, only announcing the pricing and launch date. A trailer for one of the service’s TV shows, See, was revealed during the same presentation.
While Netflix has a mix of original and third-party content available on its platform, Apple TV Plus will only have original content available for streaming. During its launch, nine original shows and films will be available for immediate streaming. More content will be added every month.
Netflix has kept quiet about recent additions to its roster of streaming services. However, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings labeled the competition as a positive for streamers with the idea that consumers could pick and choose which streaming services they wanted over pricier cable bundles.
Apple TV Plus’ benefits of lowered price and exclusive shows with top-billing talent like Steve Carrel are weighed down with a limited selection compared to other competitors. Upon launch, Disney+ will have content from Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar readily available.
When it comes to family-friendly streaming, it’s unclear just how Apple plans to target its viewers. Existing services like Roku offer Kid and Family sections and parental controls to keep streaming safe for young ones, Apple does not have a confirmed system in place. However, it was previously reported Apple was only trying to produce high-quality, family-friendly content.
During launch, Apple TV will have three shows targeted toward kids: Helpsters, a Sesame Street spin-off, will teach kids problem-solving; Snoopy in Space follows Snoopy on his dream to become a NASA astronaut; and Ghostwriter, where four children investigating a ghost cause trouble in their neighborhood bookstore.
Apple is offering a year of free streaming with the purchase of an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac. Cook boasts the new service will be “unlike anything that’s been done before.”