Apple just announced a new Netflix-style streaming service

Apple has today announced a Netflix-style streaming service, Apple TV+, which will become available in 100 countries in May, including Australia. The service will feature original content from TV stars and Hollywood heavyweights likes of Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Anniston, Reese Witherspoon, JJ Abrams, M Night Shyamalan and more.

Owners of an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV will see the new Apple TV+ service in the Apple TV app on these devices.But the app will be available on Macs and on Samsung smart TVs in May, and will come to Amazon Fire TV as well as LG and Sony smart TVs "at a future date". The app will also be coming to Roku devices in the US, which could mean support for Telstra TV here in Australia.

The Apple TV app currently offers streaming from Australian catch-up TV services and subscription platforms like Netflix, Apple says that from May the revamped app will offer subscriptions additional pay TV channels. Apple in the US has confirmed these will include HBO, Showtime and Starz. However, it's unclear which, if any, of these channels will actually be available in Australia. Given that Foxtel currently has a distribution deal with HBO, we'd say that channel at the very least is unlikely to make it to the Aussie version of the app.

Importantly, Apple has yet to confirm pricing for Apple TV+ subscriptions. 

Apple announced two other subscription content platforms during the announcement: Apple Arcade for games and Apple News+ that will aggregate stories from news sources around the world.

Apple Arcade is reported to include over 100 new and exclusive games, including original releases from the likes of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ken Wong and Will Wright.

Apple News+ taps into over 300 publications including Vogue, National Geographic, People, ELLE, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. However, the service is only available in the US and Canada for now.

Apple didn't announced pricing for Apple TV+ or Apple Arcade but did reveal that Apple News+ costs USD$9.99 per month.

Jacqui Dent

Editorial Strategist

Jacqui Dent is an Editorial Content Strategist at WhistleOut Australia, where she writes about mobile phone plans, NBN plans and everything in between. Over her ten-year career, she has worked to provide informed advice to the public, first in the sphere of writing and now in the world of consumer tech. Jacqui has also written about consumer telco products for Business Insider, Pedestrian and the 50Up Club.

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