Apple Confirms March 25th Event, Expected To Announce New TV Service (theverge.com)

Apple is holding an event on March 25th where it's expected to announce its long-rumored TV streaming and Apple News subscription services. The invitation shows an animated countdown GIF with the caption "It's show time," hinting that the new TV service will play a big role. The Verge reports: Rumors of an event at the end of March began last month, saying that the company will reportedly focus exclusively on services. Although, there is always a chance that we could see the anticipated announcements of revamped AirPods, a new entry-level iPad, and the long-delayed AirPower wireless charging pad. This is not the first time that Apple has used this tagline for an event: the company first used it for a September 2006 event where it announced that it would start offering movies on iTunes, along with the first reveal of the iTV (which would be renamed Apple TV on release in 2007). It's certainly a fitting teaser for the upcoming event. Just like in 2006, we could see Apple's media offerings for its devices expand yet again.

Along with the TV service, which is rumored to launch later this spring, Apple is also expected to take the wraps off its Apple News subscription service. The Apple News service will reportedly look to offer a Netflix-style bundle for magazines and subscription newspapers all in one convenient place. An early report from The Wall Street Journal indicated that Apple was having trouble with negotiations, reportedly demanding a staggering 50 percent of revenue from the service.

Comments

How does 12 billion reasons grab you

[SuperKendall]

I'm no Apple fanboy, but I don't even know how to respond to this comment. I don't consider Netflix a threat by a long shot.

Why not?

They spent over $12 billion on original content last year.

This year they will spend about $15 billion...

On top of that, it's not like they are spending money without result - they have had huge hits with shows like Stranger Things, and more recently Bird Box.

Netflix at this point is a stronger force for original content than HBO, which has just a few hits on the level that Netflix has (though granted one of them is Game of Thrones - but that ends this year).