Apple TV Plus — Apple’s subscription video service aimed at competing with the likes of Netflix , Disney Plus and HBO Max — …
Apple TV Plus — Apple’s subscription video service aimed at competing with the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max — features original TV shows and movies… and only original shows and movies. Unlike its main competitors, it doesn’t have a deep catalog for you to dive into. Instead, Apple TV Plus has a relatively small (but growing) lineup of high-end originals like Ted Lasso, See with Jason Momoa, and Sundance Film Festival award-winner CODA. It also doesn’t have its own dedicated app (or channel). Apple TV Plus ‘ shows live inside the Apple TV app. (And the Apple TV app is different from the Apple TV streaming device. Yeah, it’s confusing.) In addition, Apple TV Plus recently shook up the deals that let most of its subscribers watch its original shows and movies free. This month, many existing customers were charged for the first time, and Apple also has phased out a longtime offer for a yearlong free trial. So to watch Ted Lasso’s new episodes, many members are paying for the service for the first time. Ted Lasso ‘s second season premiere became available to stream on Apple TV Plus early on July 23, with a single episode available to stream. The show is expected to have 12 episodes, with each new one dropping every Friday. That would set its season finale on Oct.8. Unlike Netflix and other subscription streaming services, Apple TV Plus doesn’t have its own dedicated app. The Apple TV Plus programming resides inside Apple’s TV app, which overall serves as a hub to watch programming from other video subscriptions and to rent or buy movies and shows a la carte. That can be a little confusing, but the TV app has a tab dedicated just to Apple TV Plus originals, so you can find them in one place without other kinds of programming you need to pay for separately. Apple’s TV app (and, by extension, Apple TV Plus) is available for: Apple TV Plus is also available to watch on the web at tv.apple.com. However, if you want to watch on an Android phone, or any mobile device besides an iPhone or iPad, you’ll have to watch in a web browser. Apple’s TV app isn’t available on any mobile devices except the ones the company makes itself. Apple TV Plus costs $5 a month, or $50 for an annual subscription. By comparison, Disney Plus is $8 a month, with a library of movies and shows that dwarfs Apples. And Netflix, the world’s biggest subscription streaming service, prices its most popular plan at $13 a month in the US; it offers other tiers at $9 and $16 a month. Apple is also including Apple TV Plus with its Apple Music student-discount plan, now offering both streaming services in the $5-a-month deal at no extra cost. Apple TV Plus is also available as part of a discount bundle of services called Apple One. Long expected since Apple began making subscription services a bigger strategy, Apple One ranges in price from $15 to $30 a month for different combinations of subscriptions. Apple TV Plus is included in all tiers of Apple One; depending on the tier, Apple One bundles may also include Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus, storage service iCloud and the coming guided-workout service Apple Fitness Plus. ( Disney Plus had offered something similar by packaging that service with both Hulu and ESPN Plus.) Apple TV Plus has a seven-day free trial standard for any new subscriber. Starting July 1, Apple TV Plus offers an extended, three-month free trial to people who buy an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod Touch or Mac.
