The Latest: Apple streaming TV service to debut this fall

The streaming service will be free of ads and will be available across Apple devices, some smart TVs and the Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming devices. That’s unusual, as Apple has historically limited its availability on streaming devices to its own Apple TV.

Apple brought out several celebrities during its announcement, including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Steven Spielberg. They are all involved in making exclusive shows for the new service.

The new service will put Apple in direct competition with big streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Video.

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11:35 a.m.

A stream of celebrities including Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston and “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa are announcing new TV shows exclusive to Apple’s new streaming TV service.

Aniston will star with Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell in a show called “Morning Show.”

Spielberg will direct a sci-fi show called “Amazing Stories,” inspired by stories his dad used to read as a kid.

Momoa will star in a show called “Sea” taking place in a world devastated by a virus that wiped out most of the population, leaving survivors blind.

Big Bird of “Sesame Street” also showed up to promote a new show for preschoolers.

Apple’s long-awaited video streaming service will be called Apple TV Plus and include original programming that CEO Tim Cook says will show “great storytelling.” The service will compete with Netflix and Amazon Video.

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11:15 a.m.

Apple’s long-awaited video streaming service will be called Apple TV Plus and include original programming that CEO Tim Cook says will show “great storytelling.”

The service will compete with Netflix and Amazon Video. Apple is unveiling it at an event Monday at its Cupertino, California headquarters.

Streaming video services have skyrocketed in popularity in the past several years. Research firm eMarketer expects 205 million people in the U.S. will watch streaming video this year.

Apple is a late entrant to the streaming market, where Netflix has been dominant for more than a decade.

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10:55 a.m.

Apple says it will launch a subscription service for games this year.

Apple Arcade subscribers will get to play more than 100 games, curated by Apple. The games will be exclusive to Apple’s service. Games can be downloaded and played offline — on the Apple-made iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.

Notably, Apple says all games in this service will allow unlimited play and will have no in-app purchases, which are common on mobile games. Though many mobile games are given out for free, players can rack up hundreds of dollars for optional extras such as virtual weapons.

Apple says the Arcade subscription will be available this fall. The company did not say how much it will cost.

The Arcade subscription is part of a series of announcements Apple is making in Cupertino on Monday to emphasize paid services on its devices.

Google announced its own video game streaming service last week. That service focuses more on traditional video games, though it will also allow games to be played on phones and tablets

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10:50 a.m.

Apple is launching its own credit card, called Apple Card, that can be used anywhere Apple Pay is accepted.

Apple says the card will make it easier to see what merchants charged you. It uses Apple Maps to show users where they spend their money. This is in contrast to the sometimes-confusing alphabet soup people can see on their credit card statements.

Apple unveiled the card at an event Monday at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The company is emphasizing privacy and says it won’t know what you bought or where.

The card will live in the wallet section of the iPhone, though customers will also get a physical card made of titanium.

It will include a rewards program of 2 per cent back on all transactions. Apple says the card has no late fees, annual fees or fees for going over the credit limit. It’s a Mastercard issued by Goldman Sachs.

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10:40 a.m.

Apple says its new subscription News Plus service will not track what you read.

Apple says the article recommendations will be made on your device, not Apple’s servers, and advertisers won’t be able to track you.

That sets it apart from other places people read news, such as Facebook and Google. Facebook, for instance, might target ads based on your past reading of specific publications or topics, such as gun control or the environment.

Apple announced the new $10 monthly subscription at an event in Cupertino, California, on Monday.

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10:25 a.m.

Apple will debut a subscription news app that lets users read articles from hundreds of magazines, including Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and Cosmopolitan.

The new service will be called Apple News Plus and will cost $10 per month.

It will also have articles from some newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times.

The company is announcing the service at Monday’s event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters.

The new subscription is a way for Apple to bring in revenue from selling digital subscriptions as sales of the iPhone decline. Apple says 5 billion articles are read on its current Apple News app each month.

The news industry has struggled for years as advertising dollars shift to social media and other digital media. But some publishers are wary to participate in Apple’s news service because the company is reportedly taking 50 per cent of subscription revenue.

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midnight

Apple is expected to announce Monday that it’s launching a video service that could compete with Netflix, Amazon and cable TV itself.

It’s a long-awaited attempt from the iPhone maker, several years after Netflix turned “binge watching” into a worldwide phenomenon.

The new video service is expected to have original TV and movies that reportedly cost Apple more than $1 billion — far less than Netflix and HBO spend every year.

Also expected is a news subscription service.

The iPhone has long been Apple’s marquee product and main money maker, but sales are starting to decline. The company is pushing digital subscriptions as it searches for new profit growth.

The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

The Latest: Apple streaming TV service to debut this fall

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