Apple prepares to unveil TV and news subscription services

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Apple is expected to announce plans for a TV and news subscription service on Monday when it hosts a live event at its California headquarters.

Reports suggest the iPhone maker will introduce a subscription-based TV and film service to rival the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video by offering a central hub from which users can access a range of on-demand TV services.

Any such service could also include content created and produced by the firm itself, similar to the in-house studios that both Netflix and Amazon have in place.

Apple’s official invite to the event hints at its film and television-related plans with the inclusion of an animated film reel countdown and use of the tag line “it’s show time”.

It has also been suggested that Apple will use the event to announce a news subscription that will allow users to access different magazine and newspaper subscriptions in one place.

Apple is beginning to place more emphasis on the services aspect of its business in the wake of falling iPhone sales.

In contrast to a 15% drop in phone sales reported in its most recent quarterly financial results published at the start of the year, Apple’s services revenue was up 19% to around £8.3 billion.

The subscription announcements will come in the wake of a number of surprise device updates announced by the firm last week. This includes the first new iPad mini tablet in more than three years, and a second generation pair of its AirPods wireless earphones, which can be bought with a wireless charging case for the first time.

Chris Price
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