Apple launches Apple TV Plus, new TV app and News Plus

Apple launched the new Apple TV Plus subscription service along with the new Apple TV app and Apple News Plus.

Apple launches Apple TV Plus, new TV app and News Plus

Apple TV Plus and TV App

The Apple TV Plus service will be a feature in their TV App

Apple TV Plus is a new subscription service that will serve Apple originals only. This means that, unlike Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, you are not going to get any licensed shows or movies. It is also not a new stand-alone app instead it is part of the revamped Apple TV app.

The Apple TV App will offer add-on paid subscriptions that will allow users to stream some shows and movies from partners such as HBO straight in the app. It will have TV Plus as a way to watch all of Apple's growing library of original series and movies. It is a part of the existing TV app and not a separate one.

The service will be ad-free and is planned to be launched in over 100 countries. TV Plus will be available on several iOS devices and even the Fire TV but has no indication of an Android or Windows port. There is no indication of support for Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge in terms of web streaming.

The Apple TV app is available on Apple TV set-top boxes. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Apple also said that the app will make its way to the Mac this fall. They also confirmed that the TV app to Samsung smart TVs this spring while Vizio, Sony and LG TV support was also mentioned as planned in the future. They also hinted support for Roku and Amazon Fire TV in the works as well.

Apple News Plus

Apple News Plus is a magazine-subscription service added to the current News app. It boasts a library of over 300 magazines that include The New Yorker, Esquirem The Atlantic, National Geographic, Men's Health and Vogue. They are also slated to add The Wall Street Journal in their newspaper catalog.

Apple News Plus will make subscribing to different magazines simpler and more affordable. If you subscribe to each of the publications included in the service then it would total to more than USD 8,000 per year. You can get all of these magazines for only USD 9.99 per month.

Family sharing is also allowed with individual favorites and customizations per user. The US and Canada are the first two countries to get the service for both iOS devices and Macs. You also get the first month for free upon sign up. Australia and the UK will receive the service this fall while the rest of Europe is scheduled for a later date.

See also: Apple TV+ subscription is priced at PHP 249 in the Philippines

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Sources: The Verge 1, The Verge 2