Apple hasn’t quite announced anything just yet, but the rumor mill has scheduled an event from the company on March 25 anyway.

That event is rumored to be centered around new services from Apple. That includes a News subscription service, and it will more than likely also include the upcoming video streaming service as well. Now, Variety is confirming that Apple will indeed announce the video streaming service on March 25, but customers who are looking forward to the service will have to wait a bit before getting to use it.

“Apple is going to give the world a first glimpse at its marquee video content at a press event in Cupertino, Calif., at the end of next month, where the iPhone maker is expected to show clips of its original series. However, sources familiar with the company’s plans told Variety that the service may not launch until the summer, or even fall.”

Last we heard about the upcoming March 25 event, which, again, Apple hasn’t officially announced, the company was busy inviting several different Hollywood stars to join in the festivities. The news surrounding Apple’s upcoming streaming products is starting to pick up steam in a big way, suggesting that the rumored March 25 event date is indeed real. There have been previous rumors suggesting Apple plans on “giving away” access to its original content for Apple device owners. However, this latest report indicates that this will be a paid, subscription-based streaming product. There is no reason why it can’t be both, of course, with Apple device owners simply getting a pass and those not within the ecosystem having to pay to watch the original content.

In addition to that, it has been reported that Apple’s upcoming streaming service will work in a similar way to Amazon Prime Video’s efforts. Meaning, along with the host of original movies and TV shows, Apple will also offer up third-party options (like Showtime, Starz, and others) in channel packages. The bad news here is that Apple’s demands and negotiations are apparently not going well, and content providers like HBO are balking at joining Apple’s streaming platform.

That lack of seeing eye-to-eye extends to the rumored News subscription service, too, which Apple is reportedly seeking 50% revenue split with publishers.

As it stands right now, it sounds like Apple will indeed announce its newest subscription services on March 25. Apple is expected to launch the original content streaming platform in April or May. Apple News subscription may arrive sooner than that.

[via Variety]








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