At last, Apple’s original television shows have a premiere date and price point. The company’s chief executive, Tim Cook, announced that Apple would begin rolling out original shows and movies on Nov. 1 for $5 per month.
Apple TV Plus, which will be the home of all of Apple’s original content, will be free for a year to users who buy a company product like a new iPhone or a laptop.
Apple announced that on Nov. 1, it would feature a lineup of adult dramas, comedies, children’s programs and documentaries. Those series include four shows the company has released trailers for, including “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell; “Dickinson,” a comedy starring Hailee Steinfeld and Jane Krakowski; “See,” an epic drama starring Jason Momoa; and “For All Mankind,” a space drama. The launch will also feature other programs, including Oprah Winfrey’s new book club, a Peanuts series called “Snoopy in Space” and a documentary that Apple bought the rights to last year called “The Elephant Queen.”
By year’s end, Apple will have six subscription services, from news to TV to music. Customers who wanted all of them would pay up to $55 a month.
The launch date puts Apple in the thick of the so-called streaming wars, which have consumed Hollywood. Disney is rolling out its new streaming service, Disney Plus, on Nov. 12. AT&T’s Warner Media, the home of HBO, Warner Bros. and the DC comic universe, will introduce its own streaming service next year, and will announce new details for it on Oct. 29.
The monthly price makes it cheaper than Disney’s service, which will be $7 a month, and is well below Netflix, which is $13 per month.