Netflix and Amazon have ruled the streaming world for quite some time, but this year we will see two major players coming into the mix. Disney is set to launch its Disney+ service towards the end of this year and Apple is also preparing its own streaming service. According to Bloomberg, Apple is introducing its streaming service during an event on March 25, 2019.
We will get quite a lot of original content
Apparently Apple has already secured the right to a series named My Glory Was I Had Such Friends powered by Jennifer Garner and JJ Abrams. It’s rumored that the service will be included with the Apple TV app and we might be able to see a release date this summer. Aside from the aforementioned project, Apple is also working on other original content. On The Rocks is a project with Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola and there are other indie films set to arrive as well. There are even rumors of a sci-fi series, which is quite exciting for the platform as a whole.
Apple has a hard time finding business partners
But the interesting thing is that Apple is also said to allow the purchase of other services via its platform. Will other streaming giants appear in there? That remains to be seen. At this point, HBO isn’t close to an agreement with Apple, and Netflix and Hulu are unlikely to be included in the streaming service. Starz might be included in Apple’s platform, but other additional services are a mystery, at least for now.
But why are partners backing off from securing a deal with Apple? The primary issue, at least what a lot of people suppose at this time, is that Apple wants around 50% of their revenue once they enter their ecosystem. It’s easy to see that such a high rate will turn off a lot of potential partners. They do need to make an investment, and iTunes and their gift card system may work for music, however they are well behind everyone in the streaming and on-demand world.
Becoming a service-focused business
This might also be a clear way to see that Apple is focused a lot more on services rather than products. For many years, especially since the launch of the first iPhone, Apple has been seen as a hardware-focused company. But the expansion of the App Store and the addition of new services brought in a lot of focus on software and services.
A winning approach here is that Apple has worked together with Samsung to ensure that their new service will work on Samsung devices. Despite the fact that the two companies are clear competitors, they know that working together is extremely important if they want to handle their competition.
Apple has several streaming competitors
At this time Apple is playing catch-up in the streaming world. Roku has recently added its own premium subscription, Netflix is dominating the streaming Market, and Amazon’s Prime Video and Hulu are also super popular. If you think Hulu might be the best streaming option for you, you should know that the company recently cut the price of their basic monthly subscription. And then there’s also Disney coming into the streaming world, and they will come with their own original content and a great collection of movies and cartoons. While the road ahead might be tough for Apple’s streaming service, it’s safe to say that this will be great for customers. Having more options with perhaps lower prices and more content is something everyone wants, and now we just have to choose the right one that suits our needs.