Apple is reportedly planning to unveil its video and news subscription offerings next month, the first major new digital service from the company since 2015.
The Cupertino, California based technology giant is planning to organize an event on the 25th of March, 2019, to announce both the services. The company is also said to have invited A-list Hollywood stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, and director JJ Abrams, to attend the launch event.
The video service is similar to Amazon’s Prime Video and Netflix products and will include TV shows and movies either acquired or funded by Apple. The company has created dozens of original programs so far, but hasn’t wrapped them in a paid subscription yet. It has been working on its streaming video service for a number of years under the guidance of former Sony Pictures executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht. The content is most likely to be integrated into Apple’s TV app on iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs.
The company’s premium news service will be integrated into the Apple News app, letting consumers subscribe to a bundle of titles for a monthly fee. The magazine subscription service, which has been in testing with Apple employees for months, will be launched as part of the iOS 12.2 update scheduled for release this spring. The updated Apple News app will include a Magazines tab similar to the app Texture, which Apple acquired last year.
With iPhone sales slowing, Apple is turning to digital services to keep revenue growing. Analysts are speculating that the company will eventually roll many of these offerings into one bundled monthly subscription, similar to Amazon’s successful Prime program. However, the success of these offering sis key to ensure that the company continues to remain a leader in today’s highly competitive digital market.
