Streaming Wars Heat Up as Apple Announces Super-Low Price

Apple TV Oprah (Credit: Apple TV)

One day after BET and Tyler Perry revealed their joint streaming service BET+ would cost $9.99 a month,  Apple upped the ante Tuesday by announcing its upcoming Apple TV+ service will be priced at $4.99.

Apple CEO Tim Cook made the announcement at the company’s annual fall product event, saying the all-original video subscription service will launch Nov. 1 in over 100 countries and regions.

“Our mission for TV+ is to bring the best original stories from the most creative minds in TV and film,” Cook explained.

To tell those stories, the tech giant has teamed up with celebrity content creators, including Oprah Winfrey, M. Night Shyamalan, Reese Witherspoon, and Jennifer Aniston.

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The service will be available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac and other platforms, including online at tv.apple.com, and comes with a seven-day free trial.

Starting today, customers who purchase a iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac will get a free one year subscription, the company said.

Apple and BET will face intense competition with Disney+ launching on Nov. 12 for $7 per month. AT&T’s WarnerMedia and NBC Universal are also launching streaming services. Netflix, Amazon and Hulu already have loyal followings.

Still, Apple says it’s banking on quality programming to bring in viewers.

“We are presenting all-original stories from the best, brightest and most creative minds, and we know viewers will find their new favorite show or movie on our service,” said Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video.

Below are details on some of the Apple TV+ programming slate.

See an epic drama starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, that’s set 600 years in the future.

The Morning Show, a cutthroat drama starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, and starring Steve Carell, explores the world of morning news and the ego.

Dickinson, a comedic coming-of-age story that explores the constraints of society, gender and family through the lens of rebellious young poet, Emily Dickinson.

For All Mankind, a new series from Ronald D. Moore that imagines what would have happened if the global space race never ended.

Helpsters, a new children’s series from the makers of Sesame Street.

Snoopy in Space, a new original from Peanuts Worldwide and DHX Media, takes viewers on a journey with Snoopy as he follows his dreams to become an astronaut.

Ghostwriter, a reinvention of the beloved original series, follows four kids who are brought together by a mysterious ghost in a neighborhood bookstore.

The Elephant Queen, an acclaimed documentary film and cinematic love letter to a species on the verge of extinction.

Oprah Winfrey joins the world’s most compelling authors in conversation as she builds a vibrant, global book club community and other projects to connect with people around the world.

Servant, a new psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan about a Philadelphia couple in mourning after an unspeakable tragedy.

Truth Be Told, a gripping new series starring Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer and Emmy Award winner Aaron Paul, explores America’s obsession with true crime podcasts and navigates urgent concerns about privacy, media and race.

The Banker, a feature film inspired by a true story, starring Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson as two African American entrepreneurs who try to circumvent the racial limitations of the 1950s and quietly provide housing loans to the African American community in Jim Crow Texas.