At 6 p.m., “It’s Showtime,” Apple’s event dedicated to digital and multimedia services, will kick off. Here’s what to expect
The countdown has begun: at 6 p.m. Tim Cook (and, probably, other Apple executives and personalities from the world of showbiz) will take the stage of the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino and unveil the new streaming video on demand service that, in the plans of the house of the bitten apple, should compete with the various Netflix and Prime Video.
For several weeks now, rumors about features and prices of Apple’s streaming service have been going around, so much so that it is possible to say with a good degree of certainty what movies and TV series will be available and what the cost of the monthly subscription will be. In this new venture, Apple is investing time, money (the initial stake is rumored to be a billion dollars) and a good part of its credibility. With device sales seemingly struggling, the Tim Cook-led company is trying to reinvent itself as a digital services giant.
How Apple’s streaming will challenge Netflix
According to the latest rumors coming out of the United States, the Apple’s on-demand video streaming service should have several points of contact with the likes of Netflix and Prime Video. At the same time, however, Apple wants to offer something different to users, so as to “steal” subscribers from other streaming services.
How? For example, by signing agreements with other streaming platforms (in the United States there is talk of contracts already closed with HBO, Showtime and Starz) that could be accessible from Apple Streaming (or Apple Video). According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, by paying a subscription of $9.90 per month for each service, users could access their content from a single platform, thus avoiding the need to create various accounts and download various applications. Then add to that the original content that Apple would be making for the past few months, producing an economic effort that is anything but minor (as mentioned, at least $1 billion for new movies and TV series).
How much does Apple streaming cost? It depends. According to the first rumors, the original Apple content is free for users of the bitten apple (a bit like it happens for Prime Video, included in Amazon Prime), while the latest rumors claim that Apple would like to monetize its multimedia production, charging for the viewing of the single event or providing a monthly subscription on the style of Netflix.
Apple event March 25, 2019, what will be presented in addition to the streaming service
At the presentation of streaming video, Apple would like to flank the presentation of other digital services to complement those already available. In the event lineup, there should also be room for Apple News, defined by many as a Netflix of news, which should provide access to exclusive news content at a price of $9.90 per month; and Apple Games, a video game streaming platform similar to Google Stadia presented last week.