Streaming News: Apple TV+ Original Programing Schedule, PlayStation Vue Raises Prices
Here's a quick update from the world of streaming entertainment. After a splashy announcement presentation earlier this year which was surprisingly light on concrete details, we finally have a better idea about the Apple TV+ schedule for the new service's original programming. Meanwhile, Sony is raising the prices for PlayStation Vue subscribers across the board, causing groans heard 'round the world.
Apple TV+ Schedule
We've written a lot about Apple's upcoming entry into the streaming space, how they've teamed up with major Hollywood A-listers like Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, and J.J. Abrams to develop original TV shows, and even how they company is setting its sights on Oscars by planning to release half a dozen movies per year. The new service debuts sometime this fall (the actual release date is still nebulous), but how many of its star-studded original series are actually going to be available at launch?
The answer to that is still technically unclear, but in a recent interview with The Sunday Times (via The Verge), Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue explained that the service will not be focusing on quantity like rival Netflix, but rather on quality, and Apple TV+ will be releasing new content every month. Apparently the first one will be The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell. That's interesting because we haven't seen a trailer for that show yet, but we have seen a trailer for For All Mankind, Ronald D. Moore's alternate reality drama about the space race. I'm very curious about the order in which Apple is going to roll out all of these shows it's been touting for the past couple of years, and we'll keep you posted when we hear more details about that.
PlayStation Vue is Raising Prices
Meanwhile, every single subscriber to PlayStation Vue will experience a $5-per-month price increase, according to the official PlayStation blog. The baseline price for brand new subscribers has already jumped from $45 to $50, but existing customers will be able to keep their current price for at least 30 days. They'll see the new price starting on their first billing cycle on or after July 31, 2019. PlayStation Vue recently added beIN Sports and will soon provide access to both the NHL Network and ACC Network; those additions, plus seeing the price points of similar services, necessitated a price hike across the board.