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Streaming TV in March, for free? What we know so far about Apple’s TV shows BY Alex summersby
Apple’s original TV content could be on stream as soon as March 2019, according to reports. And, unlike rival subscription–based providers such as Netflix and Amazon, Apple reportedly plans to offer content free of charge to owners of iPads, iPhones, and Apple TVs. The business model is not entirely clear here. Sales of iPads have been holding steady in an otherwise declining tablet market (down 13.5 per cent worldwide in the June 2018 quarter, according to IDC, the 15th straight quarterly fall), but maybe Apple believes it has to offer extra enticements with iPads as the market becomes ever tighter. However, even if Apple figures this will drive sales of its devices, which is where the company still makes most of its money, it would have to sell an awful lot more to recoup the $1bn–plus it is currently spending on commissioned content. It is also building a new HQ for its entertainment division in Culver City, CA, the former home of MGM. More likely, Apple has identified streaming entertainment as a target growth area. Tim Cook said in Apple’s quarterly earnings call in July that Apple TV unit shipments and revenue both grew by “very strong double digits” in its fiscal quarter ending June 30, and the number of third–party providers using Apple TV as the “go-to-market device for their services” approximately doubled year-over-year — AT&T’s DirecTV Now streaming service, for one, 8 DEC 2018 maclife.com
offers customers an Apple TV to stream content. “The ‘cord-cutting’ in our view is only going to accelerate, and probably accelerate at a much faster rate than is widely thought,” Cook said. CNBC reports Apple will offer free shows alongside optional add-on subscriptions to streaming services such as HBO Now and Starz in a revamped TV app. It could work like paid– for apps alongside free Apple apps. Sensible, seeing as it arrived in 2016 as a means to access “TV shows and movies from multiple apps.”
The TV app gives you one place to find video and TV content, which could include original TV soon.