Apple is rumored to be developing a single subscription service that would offer customers access to its original TV shows, Apple Music, and digital magazines, according to sources close to the story.
The company is said to have ordered multiple television shows ranging from comedies to dramas, although there’s no clear word as to how these shows would be be distributed.
Apple’s first original shows, “Planet of the Apps” and “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” have debuted in Apple Music as a perk for Apple Music subscribers, although other content is in development.
Apple is rumored to be preparing to launch a digital news subscription service next year, which will combine the Apple News app with magazine subscription service Texture, which Apple purchased back in March.
Texture currently offers access to more than 200 digital magazines, including People, Better Homes and Gardens, Time, Forbes, Condé Nast Traveler, Allure, Billboard, Town & Country, ELLE, National Geographic, Rolling Stone and Vogue for $9.99 per month.
Apple is thought to be planning to bundle the digital news subscription service alongside Apple Music and the video content it has in development, although it’s not known with all this will be launched or what its price point will be.
The company has offered the following comment regarding the anticipated launch:
It isn’t clear if Apple would roll out some of its original programming for free initially and then bundle it with the other services, the people said. The discussions at Apple are still ongoing about what the subscription service ultimately will look like and could change, they said.
Previous rumors have suggested that Apple’s television shows will launch between March and the summer of 2019, although this has yet to be confirmed.
Apple has previously attempted to build a television subscription service that offers shows and movies from third-party content providers, but it was never able to establish the deals necessary to make that happen. With its own slate of original TV shows, though, Apple does not need to rely on deals with content producers to roll out a streaming TV service.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors and The Information