Apple has got into the video streaming market with the possibility of competing with Netflix in varied markets with the Apple TV+ service.
While the package costs $4.99 (Rs 350 approx) per month in the US, surprisingly, in India, the platform has been priced at Rs 99 per month, that too with a seven-day free trial in tow.
After Apple Music, this is Apple’s next big service, which is priced lower in India than most of its other markets. This clearly suggests that Apple is ready to rival existing brands like Netflix and Amazon Prime in the country, and you can include Hotstar with all the Disney+ content, also in the mix.
At the keynote, Tim Cook showcased some of the trailers for the shows on Apple TV that include "The Morning Show", starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Reese Witherspoon and there’s a series called ‘See’ starring Jason Momao of ‘Aquaman’ fame that's also part of the line up.
Apple will be banking on its premium content partnerships, as well as getting top-class directors on board to produce content exclusively for its platform. Having said that, Apple has also mentioned that Apple TV+ can be streamed through browsers like Firefox and Chrome through its website.
This could open up the streaming platform to a million more users, who’re not yet part of the Apple devices ecosystem.
For Rs 99 per month, Apple has priced itself cheaper than Hotstar and Amazon’s monthly streaming plan in the country, while Netflix has a mobile-only plan which was introduced at Rs 199 a few months back, specifically for markets like India.
Apple TV+ will be available from 1 November onwards, and we’re keen to see if Netflix and its peers have something to worry about with the entry of the Cupertino-based technology brand.
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