Apple has announced its official entry into the SVOD war with Apple TV+, set to launch in Fall 2019 with a slate of original programming, including series, films and documentaries.
The ad-free subscription-based streaming service will be available to more than 100 countries at launch. Other details, including the price point and the launch date, were not confirmed at the star-studded rollout, which featured top-tier Hollywood talent such as Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. Previous reports had speculated the service was set to launch this spring.
Among the new series confirmed for the launch is Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon’s The Morning Show, produced by Bron Studio’s venture Media Res. Aniston and Witherspoon star and will executive produce the series under their Echo Films and Hello Sunshine banners, respectively. Also starring in the series is Steve Carell, who joined Aniston and Witherspoon to announce the series, which gives a behind-closed-doors look at morning talk shows. Bron and partner Creative Wealth currently have another two series in works with Apple in addition to The Morning Show.
While not included in the presentation, DHX Media has also reportedly inked a deal with Apple to produce original series, shorts and specials of the Peanuts brand. Apple has reportedly spent more than US$1 billion in original content acquisitions ahead of the launch.
The announcement also included updates to Apple’s current Apple TV app, which is set to aggregate a number of paid add-on subscriptions into its service for May 2019, including BritBox and CBS Access. Apple did not confirm if its original content will be integrated into Apple TV or become a separate service altogether.