Apple TV+: A guide to its shows, movies, price and launch date - Los Angeles Times
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Everything you need to know about Apple TV+

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Apple is entering the streaming wars with a slightly different approach than its competitors.

Unlike established streamers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, or fellow newcomers Disney+ and HBO Max, the tech giant’s subscription service, Apple TV+, is betting solely on the strength of its original programming — meaning its library will contain only movies and TV series created specifically for Apple TV+.

Here is everything we know about Apple TV+ so far.

Apple TV+ has no library of beloved movies and TV shows. Instead, the tech giant hopes its original programming is enough to ensure “wild success.”

Oct. 30, 2019

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What is Apple TV+?

Apple TV+ is Apple’s ad-free, direct-to-consumer streaming service launching on Nov. 1.

“With Apple TV+, we are presenting all-original stories from the best, brightest and most creative minds, and we know viewers will find their new favorite show or movie on our service,” Apple TV+ chief Zack Van Amburg has previously said.

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How much is it?

Apple TV+ will cost $4.99 a month. Apple is also offering one year of Apple TV+ for free to people who purchase any new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac (or have since Sept. 10) for a limited time. Subscribers to the Apple Music student plan will also get Apple TV+ for free.

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What does it include?

Up to six family members can share one Apple TV+ subscription to watch using their own Apple ID and password. Offline viewing will be available through the Apple TV app.

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How can you watch it?

Apple TV+ can be watched on the Apple TV app or online at tv.apple.com.

The Apple TV app is ,pre-installed on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch and is available on Macs running macOS Catalina. The app is also currently supported on select Samsung smart TVs, Amazon Fire TVs and Roku devices, and will be on LG, Sony and VIZIO in the future.

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What can you watch on it?

Apple TV+ will only feature original programs created specifically for the service. Most Apple TV+ titles will premiere with three episodes available immediately, with one new episode rolled out each week — including, at launch, “The Morning Show,” “See” and “For All Mankind.” However, some series will have full seasons available at once, such as “Dickinson,” also available at launch.

Those who use the Apple TV app can also subscribe to additional premium channels and access purchases from their iTunes library within the app.

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What titles will be available at launch?

“See”: Set in a post-apocalyptic future, hundreds of years after a deadly virus wiped out much of humanity and any survivors were left blind. Jason Momoa stars as the father of twins who were born with the now-mythical ability to see. The cast also includes Alfre Woodard.

“The Morning Show”: A drama series about the “cutthroat world of morning news” starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell.

“Dickinson”: A coming-of-age dark comedy starring Hailee Steinfeld as an Emily Dickinson (yes, the poet) with a millennial edge. “Wild nights — Wild nights!” indeed.

“For All Mankind”: A series from “Battlestar Galactica’s” Ronald D. Moore about a world where the space race never ended.

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“Helpsters”: A children’s series from the makers of “Sesame Street” following Cody and a team of monsters who love to help solve problems.

“Snoopy in Space”: An animated series about Snoopy — now a NASA astronaut in command of the International Space Station — in space with Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

“Ghostwriter”: This reboot of the 1992 children’s series will follow a group of kids who must band together to solve the mystery around the unfinished business of a ghost that haunts their neighborhood bookstore.

“The Elephant Queen”: A documentary film following Athena, an elephant matriarch leading her family in a journey across the land to help the herd survive the coming dry season.

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“Oprah’s Book Club”: Oprah Winfrey will build her book club community through this series, interviewing some of today’s most acclaimed authors. The first episode will feature Winfrey in conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new novel, “The Water Dancer.”

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What other projects have been announced?

Additional Apple TV+ originals will be added to the Apple TV app each month. Upcoming titles include:

“Servant”: A psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan about a mourning Philadelphia couple whose home attracts a mysterious force following a tragedy.

“Truth Be Told”: A series based on the novel by Kathleen Barber exploring America’s obsession with true crime podcasts. Octavia Spencer stars as a journalist and podcaster opposite Aaron Paul, who will portray a convicted murderer.

“Little America”: A series inspired by the funny, romantic, heartfelt and surprising true stories of immigrants in America featured in Epic Magazine.

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“The Banker”: A film based on the real-life story of two black businessmen who found a way to work around the racist establishment of 1960s America and provide housing loans to members of the African American community in Jim Crow-era Texas. Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson star as Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris, respectively, with Nia Long and Nicholas Hoult also among the cast.

“Hala”: A film following high-school senior Hala, who finds her growing feelings for a classmate at odds with her traditional Muslim upbringing.

“Little Voice”: A series about finding your true voice in your early 20s — and the courage to use it — with original music from Sara Bareilles.

“Mythic Quest”: “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” vets Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day are behind this half-hour comedy set inside a video-game development studio — and produced by video-game developer Ubisoft.

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“Amazing Stories”: A revival of the director’s own 1985 anthology series, Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Entertainment shingle pay homage yet again to the classic science-fiction magazine from which it takes its name.

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