BY WILL PESEK
Staff Reporter
On Sept. 10, Apple officially announced that their brand-new streaming service, Apple TV Plus, will launch on Nov. 1. The Walt Disney Company also declared that their own streaming service, Disney Plus, will be available on Nov. 12.
The two new services will cost less than their competing companies, such as Netflix and Hulu. According to the Associated Press, Apple TV Plus will be $4.99 a month and Disney Plus will cost $6.99 a month for subscribers.
With numerous streaming services becoming available in this era of television, some students were considering whether they would purchase Apple TV Plus.
“I am actually intrigued by Apple’s idea for a new streaming service, and it’s less than my Netflix subscription! I am willing to get the service and give it a try since it’s so cheap, I can try it for a month and cancel if I don’t like it,” said sophomore Noah Decaminada.
The cost of Apple’s new amenity is significantly less than other top streaming services like Netflix (which currently costs $12.99 per month) and Hulu (which is $11.99 per month for ad-free television).
Some professors said that they will not be getting Apple TV Plus.
“I am a current Netflix and Amazon subscriber. Unless Apple can come out with some true exclusive content, I will stay the course with my current subscriptions,” said Prof. Jason O’Brien of the Department of Sports Management.
Apple’s new product will introduce original programs like “The Morning Show” starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell. It is also set to launch nine other original TV shows and films, according to AP News.
The world of streaming services has become increasingly popular in the past few years, with Netflix paving the way from their initial release of streaming video in 2007.
O’Brien believes it is a tough category to compete in for Apple’s new form of TV. “Apple has potential for instant distribution channel but there is so much competition around content acquisition,” he said. “Sports, E Sports and Gaming may be an avenue because of the ‘live’ demand versus on-demand.”
O’Brien said Apple has the potential for gaming as well for similar reasons. Apple recently released its new gaming service for $5 a month on Sept. 19.
“Apple Arcade” will work similarly to Apple TV Plus with over 100 different games that the customer can play. The new service from Apple will offer less selections than Netflix and Disney.
Some students would rather subscribe to Disney’s new service than Apple’s.
“As much as I am interested in the new Apple TV Plus, I want to save my money and put it towards Disney Plus,” said sophomore Sarah Lindskog. “I am very excited for Disney Plus to come out because I enjoy their movies and TV shows more than the Netflix originals.”
Disney Plus will be $2 more than Apple TV Plus, but will stream all Disney films and shows. According to AP News, Disney’s service will have over 7,000 episodes of television series and between 400-500 movies.
“I may look into the reviews of Apple TV Plus to see what people think of it, but I don’t think that will change my mind. I am not interested, I want Disney Plus,” said Lindskog.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
