Apple TV Plus will cost just $4.99 a month, launches November 1

Today Apple held a big press event to announce several new products and announcements, including the price and launch date for its highly anticipated Apple TV Plus streaming video service.

Apple TV Plus will be priced at just $4.99 a month, and it will launch on November 1. As expected, the service will have a number of exclusive original TV shows and movies.

Apple TV Plus price and launch promotion

Apple TV Plus will launch for $4.99 a month for a “family subscription”, and that means that up to six family members can access one Apple TV Plus subscription using their own Apple ID and password.

In addition to the low subscription price, people who purchase any new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV hardware device will be able to access Apple TV Plus for one year for free. For everyone else, there will be a seven day free trial for the service.

Apple TV Plus launch date and availability

Apple TV Plus will go live on November 1 in over 100 countries. It will be available on the Apple TV app for the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch and Mac devices. It will also support select Samsung Smart TVs. In the future, it will also be available on LG, Sony, and Vizio smart TVs, along with Roku and Amazon Fire TV-based TVs, streaming sticks and set-top boxes. Finally, the Apple TV Plus shows will be available on the web at tv.apple.com.

Apple TV Plus launch shows

Apple TV Plus will launch with a selection of original shows on November 1.

• The Morning Show – This will be a drama centering on the behind-the-scenes antics at a national morning news TV show, starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell.
• See – See looks to be one of the biggest Apple TV Plus shows. It is an epic sci-fi drama, set on Earth centuries after a worldwide cataclysm has rendered all humans blind. It stars Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard.
• For All Mankind – Here’s yet another sci-fi series, this time set in an alternate timeline where the space race of the 1960s between the U.S. and the Soviet Union never ended.
• Dickinson – This will be a comedy centering on a fictional version of the poet Emily Dickinson, as played by Hailee Steinfeld.
• Helpsters – A new children’s series from the makers of Sesame Street.
• Snoopy in Space – A new Peanuts animated series centering on Snoopy as he follows his dreams of becoming an astronaut.
• Ghostwriter –  A new version of the classic children’s show, which focuses on four kids who are brought together by a mysterious ghost in a neighborhood bookstore to fight creatures based on works of literature.
• The Elephant Queen – A documentary that follows an African elephant and her herd.

In addition, Apple TV Plus will feature Oprah Winfrey as she relaunches her popular book club feature as a launch title for the service.

What do you think of the Apple TV Plus price and initial exclusives? Let us know in the comments.