Cook also shared that the service will cost $4.99 per month for a family subscription, though he didn’t specify if an annual subscription option would be available.

The announcement confirms previous speculation that Apple TV+ would be unveiled in November — the same month that Disney will make its own streaming service available in the United States. (Apple TV+ also will cost less than Disney+, which comes in at $6.99 per month.)

Per an August Bloomberg report, a release strategy for Apple’s original series is still in the works, but the company is considering dropping the first three episodes of new shows at one time, followed by weekly installments. Cook confirmed on Tuesday that a handful of originals will be available at launch, followed by new projects each month.

Apple TV+ will be ad-free, and all of the content will be downloadable. Thus far, there are at least 23 original shows in various stages of development at the service; you can view the full slate here.

Of those projects, Apple has released footage of The Morning Show, a drama starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell; For All Mankind, which imagines an alternate universe in which the global space race never ended; and Dickinson, a comedy starring Hailee Steinfeld as a young version of poet Emily Dickinson.

“We’re honored that the absolute best lineup of storytellers in the world — both in front of and behind the camera — are coming to Apple TV+,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We’re thrilled to give viewers a sneak peek of Apple TV+ and cannot wait for them to tune in starting this fall. Apple TV+ will be home to some of the highest quality original storytelling that TV and movie lovers have seen yet.”

Additionally, Apple debuted the all-new Apple TV app and Apple TV channels coming in May 2019. The all-new Apple TV app brings together the different ways to discover and watch shows, movies, sports, news and more in one app across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, smart TVs and streaming devices. Users can subscribe to and watch new Apple TV channels — paying for only services they want, like HBO, SHOWTIME and Starz — all on demand, available on and offline, with incredible picture quality and sound; enjoy sports, news and network TV from cable and satellite providers as well as purchase or rent iTunes movies and TV shows all within the new, personalized Apple TV app.

Beginning in May, customers can subscribe to Apple TV channels à la carte and watch them in the Apple TV app, with no additional apps, accounts or passwords required. Apple TV channels include popular services such as HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME, CBS All Access, Smithsonian Channel, EPIX, Tastemade, Noggin and new services like MTV Hits, with more to be added over time around the world.

The new Apple TV app personalizes what viewers love to watch across their existing apps and services while developing a secure and comprehensive understanding of users’ viewing interests. The app will offer suggestions for shows and movies from over 150 streaming apps, including Amazon Prime and Hulu, as well as pay-TV services such as Canal+, Charter Spectrum, DIRECTV NOW and PlayStation Vue. Optimum and Suddenlink from Altice will be added later this year.¹

Additionally, the Apple TV app will become the new home to the hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows currently available for purchase or rent in the iTunes Store.

Availability

• Pricing and availability for the Apple TV+ video subscription service will be announced later this fall.
• The all-new Apple TV app is coming to iPhone, iPad and Apple TV customers in over 100 countries with a free software update this May, and to Mac this fall.
• Through Family Sharing, users can share Apple TV+ and subscriptions to Apple TV channels.
• The Apple TV app will be available on Samsung smart TVs beginning this spring and on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO platforms in the future.
• Later this year, customers with eligible VIZIO, Samsung, LG and Sony smart TVs will be able to effortlessly play videos and other content from their iPhone or iPad directly to their smart TVs with AirPlay 2 support.

Not completely surprising given Apple reportedly expects to spend $2 billion this year on original content.

The ad-free subscription service is slated to launch this fall and be available on all Apple devices via the redesigned Apple TV app, as well as on Roku, Fire TV and a variety of smart TVs. Pricing for the service has not been disclosed.

Steven Spielberg took the stage discussing his reboot of the anthology series Amazing Stories, as did Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Steve Carrell to promote their Apple original, The Morning Show. Other celebrities included Kumail Nanjiani, J.J. Abrams, Sara Bareilles, Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodarde, and even Oprah who announced two documentaries for the Apple service and is planning a book club program.

Apple TV+ will be available in 100 countries, with new exclusive originals being added each month.

The revamped Apple TV app displays content from a variety of services together in one place, including Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN+, along with premium channels like HBO, Showtime, and Epix. Cable TV programming like live sports and news from cable providers including Charter’s Spectrum, and vMVPDs PlayStation Vue, and AT&T’s DirecTV Now can also be viewed directly in the Apple TV app.

Apple positioned its new TV Channels as a way for users to only pay for the channels they want and have the ability to watch on-demand and both online and off.

At the event, Apple also announced a new MasterCard Credit Card that doesn’t have late fees or annual fees. It’s integrated with a person’s Apple device to track spending, but Apple says it won’t be able to see where or what users are spending. 

Apple is also launching subscription news and gaming services, more on those here.