Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade Are Coming to Australia

Here’s what you need to know.

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a bunch of new Apple products and services in California today, finally giving us our first concrete information on their streaming service, titled Apple TV+.

Apple has reportedly poured more than a billion dollars into original TV shows and movies for their service, which is set to rival Disney+ and, of course, Netflix. However, the question of how Apple’s service would work (and whether or not it could be accessed in Australia) remained a mystery.

Though there are still some lingering queries, here’s the information we know so far.

Apple TV+ is indeed coming to Australia.

Yes, Apple users Down Under (and in 99 other countries) will be able to watch Apple TV+ in 2019. According to the Aussie Apple site, it’s coming "later this year", meaning we won’t have to wait too long for it like we did with Netflix, Amazon Prime and other rival streaming services that first debuted in the United States. You can register for launch notifications here.

According to the Apple press event, a revamped Apple TV+ app will launch in May, offering (American subscribers at least) optional access to premium cable channels like HBO, Showtime and Starz. However, a subscription to each channel will come at an additional cost. It’s not known if Aussie punters will get access to the same range. Instead, Apple says they’ll be adding more channels from "around the world".

As for Apple’s original TV+ content, that’ll land closer to the end of 2019. It will also likely come with its own subscription pricing (yet to be announced). But at least they’ll play ad-free!

Apple’s original shows come from Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey , Kumail Nanjiani and more.

In a sizzle reel for their original content, Apple showed just what they’ve been spending all their dosh on. That includes new drama The Morning Show starring Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell; an Emily Dickinson period comedy called Dickinson featuring Hailee Steinfeld (pictured); Jason Momoa’s epic See; and Magic Hour, starring The Florida Project’s Brooklynn Princess as a tween journalist based on Hilde Lysiak.

There will also be anthology series from Steven Spielberg (Amazing Stories) and The Big Sick’s Kumail Nanjiani (Little America). Both turned up to the event to spruik their wares. However, it was Oprah Winfrey who earned a standing ovation, with her announcement of two upcoming documentaries, exclusive to the service.

We’re Apple girls now! A billion phones, here we come... #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/wQ7yV7XULG

— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) March 26, 2019

Oprah touched my face.

— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) March 25, 2019

Yes, there will be movies too.

Apple TV+, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, is also creating original movies. Among the first to debut on the service will be Sundance acquisition Hala, starring Australia’s own Geraldine Viswanathan, and Bill Murray’s On the Rocks, from director Sofia Coppola. They will co-mingle with your iTunes purchases and rentals on the new app.

Can I watch Apple TV+ without an Apple device?

Actually, yes! Though iPhone, Mac and Apple TV users will get direct access to the app as expected, smart TVs by Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio will also get the app too.

Apple Arcade is also coming to Australia.

One of the other huge announcements from California was the reveal of Apple Arcade, a gaming subscription service that will indeed land Down Under (and more than 150 other countries).

Apple Arcade, when it launches later this year, will be available in the App Store. It gives users access to games across all their iOS and Mac devices, available to play offline. Apple Arcade will launch with more than 100 games that aren’t available anywhere else.

We will let you know more when we learn about release dates and prices.

Header Image: Apple