Apple TV Plus: Everything to know about Apple’s stab at streaming – CNET [CNET]

How do I sign up? And get that free year?

Apple TV Plus is associated with Apple ID, which is the same log-in you’d use for iCloud or downloading apps from its App Store. If you don’t already have an Apple ID, you can create one here. 

If you already have Apple’s TV app on an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, you simply need to open the app and navigate to any of the places where Apple is prominently promoting its original shows. On newly purchased iPhones, for example, the app already knows you’ve purchased a new gadget to qualify for the deal. Whether you’re starting Apple TV Plus with a year free or just the standard one-week trial, the shows start playing in the app after just a few taps.

You can also sign up and watch online with a web browser at the Apple TV Plus site. 

The free-year deal is set up autorenew at the end of the free year.  And the service will shut off immediately when you cancel, even if you still have time left in the deal. You must wait until the day before the deal runs out to cancel or you forfeit any remaining free viewing time. 

When did it launch?

Apple TV Plus launched Nov. 1 in more than 100 countries and regions. 

The company said its originals will be subtitled or dubbed in nearly 40 languages, including closed captions for people who are hearing impaired, and Apple TV Plus series and movies will also be available with audio descriptions in eight languages.

What devices are supported to stream it?

Apple’s programming is available on all Apple devices with the Apple TV app. 

In addition, Apple TV Plus is supposed to be available on some competitors’ devices. Apple’s TV app is available Roku and Fire TV, two of the most widely used streaming devices in the US, and for smart TVs from Samsung and LG. You can watch it on Sony and Vizio smart TVs via airplay, and the TV app is coming to those smart TVs during the summer. 

Subscribers will also be able to watch Apple TV Plus on the web at tv.apple.com.

But the Apple TV app isn’t available on any mobile devices except iPhones or iPads. That means Apple TV Plus subscribers with non-Apple phones — meaning, the huge population of people with Android phones — need to stream to their mobiles via the web, rather than in an app. 

What shows and movies does it have?

Apple’s shows run the gamut of drama, comedy, documentary — even undefined deals with a single big star attached. It’s also spending big to get top Hollywood names: Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams and other heavy hitters are on board. Apple also struck an exclusive deal with Alfonso Cuarón for the famed director’s first television projects. 

Now that the service is live, one of the easiest ways to browse the full catalog is through third-party services like Reelgood. Since Apple TV Plus resides in Apple’s TV app, you can also check out the selection there before signing up. 

Apple TV Plus titles include: 

• See, the post-apocalyptic thriller starring Momoa
• The Morning Show, the drama about a morning news broadcast starring Witherspoon, Aniston and Steve Carell 
• Dickinson, the comedy about poet Emily Dickinson as a young woman starring Steinfeld
• For All Mankind, an alternative retelling of the space race
• Oprah’s Book Club, a book-focused series with Oprah Winfrey
• Helpsters, a Sesame Street spinoff 
• Ghostwriter, a kids program about four youngsters who team up with a ghost in a neighborhood bookstore
• Animated series Snoopy in Space
• The Elephant Queen, a documentary film about a mother elephant
• Servant, a thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, who directed Sixth Sense
• Truth Be Told, the mystery drama starring Spencer and Paul
• Little America, from the husband-and-wife screenwriting team of Kumail Nanjiani (you may know him as Dinesh on HBO’s Silicon Valley) and Emily V. Gordon
• The Banker, the movie based on a true story starring Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson
• Hala, a movie produced by Jada Pinkett Smith that Apple picked up at Sundance
• Mythic Quest, a comedy from Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, who created and starred in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
• Amazing Stories, an anthology series from Steven Spielberg
• Central Park, a cartoon musical from the creator of Bob’s Burgers and packed with the voices of stars like Frozen’s Josh Gad and Kristen Bell and Hamilton’s Leslie Odom Jr. and Daveed Diggs
• Defending Jacob, the crime/drama miniseries starring Chris Evans

On the film development side, Apple has a partnership with film studio A24 — known for such movies as Ex Machina, Moonlight and Room. The partnership will include a film called On the Rocks starring Bill Murray and Rashida Jones and directed by Sofia Coppola. In mid-October, Apple announced a second film as part of its A24 partnership. The Sky Is Everywhere is based on a young-adult novel by Jandy Nelson that follows a teenager as she grieves the loss of her sister and “accidentally falls in love,” Apple said. Nelson will adapt the script, and experimental filmmaker Josephine Decker will direct. 

At the Toronto Film Festival last year, Apple also bought the rights to Wolfwalkers, an animated movie from Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions. 

A report in September said Apple may give theater runs to some of its films before streaming them on Apple TV Plus, but the coronavirus pandemic has halted nearly all theatrical releases for the time being. 

Apple has come under early scrutiny because of reports that it’s restricting its creators from making edgy content and aiming to keep all its programming family friendly. Family friendly programming isn’t necessarily a bar to success — Disney built one of the reigning media empires on it — but edgy shows have led other streaming services to awards recognition that helps drive interest. Apple’s strategy could crimp it competitively on that front.

But that won’t stop Apple from trying to score awards, apparently. The company is hiring strategists to help craft campaigns for awards like the Oscars and Emmys, according to a report. 

Who is Apple competing against? 

Apple’s service is launching at a time when seemingly every major media property is putting out its own streaming option, from DC Universe’s comic-flavored fare to a planned Disney offering, not to mention stalwarts like Netflix. Meanwhile, NBCUniversal and HBO-owner WarnerMedia are both building their own streaming services.

Clearly, an Apple service with $6 billion worth of premium video competes with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and others that stream on-demand, high-quality productions. 

Should Apple expand to bundling other digital networks, then Amazon Channels will be its key rival. Apple would also go up against wireless companies such as AT&T’s VRV, a co-op of niche genre streaming services. A channel-bundling model would even bring Apple in competition with traditional cable. 

What’s interesting is that Apple’s dive into original programming comes as other giants are ramping up their own streaming-service ambitions. Disney launched its $7-a-month Netflix-like service Disney Plus just days after Apple TV Plus rolled out, and it was followed by HBO Max and, soon, Peacock. 

Apple is a gadget giant. Why does it want to become Netflix? 

Apple is taking aim at original video because it could be a crucial enticement for people to buy more iPhones and other gadgets. You can’t overstate the importance of the iPhone to Apple. The phone, one of the most popular in the world, still accounts for more than half its sales and was critical to Apple’s march to become the first US company worth $1 trillion. 

Celebrities show off their new series on Apple TV Plus

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Apple is on a deadline to lift its services revenue to $50 billion before 2021. 

Apple quickly established its bona fides in subscriptions businesses with Apple Music. But the content on Apple Music is essentially the same as every other music service. They all have tens of millions of songs. Apple Music has been successful largely because of its presence on the iPhone, already in the pockets of millions of people. It hasn’t been nearly as successful working the other direction, acting as a lure to buy the latest Apple gadget.  

Original video from big-name stars and creators you can’t watch anywhere else, however, could be different. 

Apple clearly has a hunch it will be.