Apple’s New Video Streaming and News Subscription Services Won’t Be Cheap

Apple is expected to launch its new services later this evening. Cupertino is finally going to take the wraps off its new video streaming and news subscription services as the company look to focus on its Services business.

We have heard a lot about both the new services, and just before the official announcement, The Wall Sreet Journal has published some more tidbits on the new services, claiming that CEO Tim Cook is “gambling that selling services, an area filled with risks and competition, will be the company’s next chapter”.

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First thing first is the new Apple video streaming service — we don’t quite know what this thing will be called, but we do know some details about the pricing. Apple is rumoured to offer its original content for free to Apple device owners as part of the service, but the company’s new original shows aren’t expected to be available at launch.

The new service will, however, allow users to stream content from platforms like HBO, Showtime, and Starz. These “channels” will cost $9.99 a month each, so if you want to watch the new season of GoT, you will have to pay $9.99 a month to get access to HBO shows. And if you want to watch something on Starz, you will have to pay another $9.99 a month. That is still cheaper than the respective prices for these channels, so there is some incentive to use Apple’s new service instead of subscribing to the channels individually.

It still is not clear what the actual Apple streaming service will cost, that’s the one that will give users access to Apple’s own original content, so the pricing of that should be very interesting.

And then there is the new news subscription service that will also apparently cost $9.99 a month, giving users access to up to 200 magazines, including The Wall Street Journal. The new service will likely be integrated into the Apple News app, so you may not have access to it outside of Apple devices.

The new video streaming service, however, will reportedly come to other platforms, especially smart TVs later on.

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Conversation 21 comments

  • dontbe evil

    25 March, 2019 - 6:00 am

    <p>What a surprise /s</p>

  • codymesh

    25 March, 2019 - 6:44 am

    <p>Gotta maintain that trillion dollar valuation somehow.</p>

  • Tony Barrett

    25 March, 2019 - 7:17 am

    <p>Call me shocked – Apple's streaming service will be one of the most expensive on the market! Yep, I'm literally gobsmacked. ;-)</p>

    • rosyna

      25 March, 2019 - 9:14 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#415157">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote><p>The headline doesn’t agree with the article, which doesn’t list anything more expensive that existing services.</p>

      • jimchamplin

        Premium Member
        25 March, 2019 - 11:07 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#415184">In reply to rosyna:</a></em></blockquote><p>Those prices will be in addition to the monthly charge for the privilege of then paying more to actually get the channels.</p>

        • lvthunder

          Premium Member
          25 March, 2019 - 7:54 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#415202">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>What are you talking about?</p>

  • minke

    25 March, 2019 - 7:20 am

    <p>Depending on what's included in the news subscription the price may be a bargain. Just a couple of subscriptions to top-tier magazines and newspapers is more than $10 a month at regular rates.</p>

  • drprw

    Premium Member
    25 March, 2019 - 8:17 am

    <p>I am thinking the $9.99/mo for premium channels might be a low ball price to get people to sign up. I can almost guarantee the price will go up to the normal HBO Now Price of ~$15/mo at some point.</p>

  • toukale

    25 March, 2019 - 9:04 am

    <p>Apple and cheap should never be in the same sentence. As usual, Apple is not going for the most, you go cheap when you want to include as many users as possible. When are we ever going to learn? Apple is always about margins and profits first. Apple will not be running any services at a lost. Why should they? They have access to the users with the most disposable income known to man, they will continue to dip into that pond. </p>

  • Skolvikings

    25 March, 2019 - 9:26 am

    <p>If this is another service Apple releases only to users of it's own hardware, it'll be hard pass from me. I do own one Apple TV, but I also own Fire TVs. I'm not interested in anything that locks me into specific hardware.</p>

    • lvthunder

      Premium Member
      25 March, 2019 - 7:45 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#415185">In reply to Skolvikings:</a></em></blockquote><p>Well you are in luck. Apple TV+ will work on the Fire TV as well as the Apple TV and Roku.</p>

  • Michael_Miller

    25 March, 2019 - 10:39 am

    <p>The WSJ digital subscription (through the WSJ) is about $30/month. If it and many more publications are $10/mo., full up, then it is a real bargain. </p>

  • Bob2000

    25 March, 2019 - 10:40 am

    <p>Apple is a hardware vendor were it makes the most of the money, it will fail to transform into a services company as the business is cut throat low margin compared to Apples hardware markets.</p>

    • locust infested orchard inc

      25 March, 2019 - 1:44 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#415197">In reply to Bob2000:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Apple has already diversified into the service sector with its lucrative subscription-based services.</p><p><br></p><p>The video streaming and news subscription service is primarily targeted at the herding flock who are enamored with all Apple has to offer.</p>

    • lvthunder

      Premium Member
      25 March, 2019 - 7:53 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#415197">In reply to Bob2000:</a></em></blockquote><p>The people that run Apple Music disagree with you.</p>

    • Jorge Garcia

      26 March, 2019 - 8:02 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#415197">In reply to Bob2000:</a></em></blockquote><p>I think that it will fail to dominate and re-shape anything major…but it will succeed greatly amongst the millions and millions of Westerners who MUST do everything exactly as Apple commands it.</p>

  • anthonye1778

    25 March, 2019 - 11:22 am

    <p>Like everything, I'll give it a go if it seems to be worth it. The news service is especially interesting to me, as it appears to be a first of its kind deal. Like Skolvikings said, if it is something only for their own hardware use, not only would they be shooting themselves in the foot by severely limiting their paying audience, it would be a hard pass from me as well.</p>

  • darkgrayknight

    Premium Member
    25 March, 2019 - 1:09 pm

    <p>Actually, Starz is only 8.99/month on Amazon Prime, though HBO is 14.99/month.</p>

  • hoomgar

    25 March, 2019 - 1:13 pm

    <p>LOL!&nbsp; The headline said it all for me.&nbsp; It's Apple, of course it will not be cheap&nbsp; ;P</p>

  • edlin

    Premium Member
    25 March, 2019 - 3:52 pm

    <p>The complexity of having a SIDE business like this – not a core business – is your are competing against hte MAJOR players here that are dedicated and already have learned the lessons for this – scaling and difficulty in simultaneous, high availability reliable streaming. An enormous project. Along side the proposed 'autonomous car' concepts is another example of misguided pronouncements that can hurt the overall Wall St expectations. Now revenue numbers are tied to it in some fashion as well. </p><p>There is no need to keep coming up with the grandiose product and services announcements to satisfy the mystique of Apple revolutionary engineering while there needs to be product improvements in AirPod battery life, iPhone future feature set, etc. It is a core importance that these significant product and service road maps (like iCloud, Apple Maps, and Office productivity software) are focused on… I fear NEW business developers -who have NO IDEA who to please Wall St, but their own careers are given more voice than necessary. </p><p>If Apple were really smart, they would hire visionaries that have slow ramp up processes and keep it under the covers – and don't hurt the reputation of the existing company with these new, HUGE offerings which can lead to eventual failures. The world DOES NOT expect NEW, only crappy tech journalists – who at times are bullies – need new information to build around company viability. The big secret? The consumers are very very happy with keeping the products the same, and improving them. No new. Just better existing. What customers DO expect is QUALITY and steadily evolving existing products and services. </p><p>As a share holder, I say it is Tim Cook's REQUIREMENT to look toward the future of fiscal responsibility of the business and announcing and indulging these business development ideas comes with issues of engineering, support and manufacturing growth and potential failures. </p><p>They need to STOP with the continued NEW services and just work on what they have. Every milestone of existing products is important – OSX imporvements, iOS improvements, iCloud improvements, Mac Mini switching for old Windows users. Apple Development improvements, Apple programming and and Azure integration, AirPods, iPads, etc.</p><p>These HUGE projects like autonomous cars and massive streaming services and new video production houses are all just product lines that are not expected of Apple until it is announced to Wall St. Only a dedicated individual like Elon Musk can pull off automobile revolutions. Not a few engineering teams in Apple. Sorry, Tim, but quit with the BS and hubris and get real again. </p><p><br></p>

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