Apple’s new SVOD service, Apple TV+, is set to launch November 1 in more than 100 countries and regions, the company finally announced. It will roll out at US$4.99 per month.
Both the launch date and price-point undercut Disney, which is launching its similarly named SVOD Disney+ on November 12 for US$6.99 per month, with only five countries planned so far.
Apple is promising that its SVOD’s catalogue will be made up of all-original content and is kicking off with nine new shows, three of which are for kids. A reboot of the ’80s kids show Ghostwriter (pictured), Snoopy in Space produced by DHX Media and Peanuts Worldwide, and Sesame Workshop’s coding series Helpsters will be available upon launch alongside adult-skewing series The Morning Show, Dickinson, See, For All Mankind and The Elephant Queen as well as an unnamed book club show from Oprah Winfrey.
The original Ghostwriter, which aired on PBS from 1992 to 1995, was produced by the Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop). The new one will also be produced by Sesame Workshop, following Apple TV+ signing an agreement with Sesame in summer 2018 to produce original live-action, animated and puppet series for the iPhone maker. The reboot follows four kids brought together by a ghost in a bookstore who forces them to work together to release fictional characters from the pages around them.
The tech giant is planning on adding new originals to the Apple TV app each month, but no other kids shows have been announced. The service can be accessed both online and offline, ad-free through the Apple TV app (which comes pre-installed on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and iPod touch and soon on Mac computers). Users can sign up for the service here.
Despite the relatively cheap price, TV+ will also be free for a year to anyone who purchases a new iPhone, iPad, apple TV, Mac or iPod. The tech giant is also leaning into account sharing, and said that up to six family members can use one subscription.
Ahead of the SVOD launch, Apple is also launching its new game subscription service Apple Arcade through the App Store on September 19. The service is also US$4.99 per month and offers unlimited access to a catalogue of more than 100 new, exclusive games playable across Apple devices.
Quite a few of the games are coming from kid-game producers, including Cartoon Network which made Steven Universe: Unleash the Light for the platform. The original CN game is co-written by the series’ creator Rebecca Sugar and lets players pick their favorite characters for a mobile role-playing game.