Oliver Haslam·

Apple To Start Selling Video Subscriptions Directly Through TV App On iOS And Apple TV [Report]

Apple looks set to take another swing at getting into the streaming content game via a new subscription service, just as it has been rumored to be trying to do for a number of years now.

According to a new report by Bloomberg, Apple’s next move will be to offer video content subscriptions from within its TV app on both iOS and Apple TV, rather than having users subscribe via individual content provider apps.

Right now the TV app can stream content from third-parties but it pushes users out to other apps in order to allow subscriptions to be signed up for and managed. The new approach will see Apple handle all of those subscriptions within the TV app, helping it continue to boost the growing services revenue that is so important to the company tight now. Apple expects service to account for $50 billion in annual revenue by 2021, and this move will help to push things in the right direction.

Predictably, Apple is not yet commenting on a rumor which claims the new subscription model will arrive this year, but it does appear to closely resemble something Amazon already offers via Channels on Prime Video. Content from the likes of HBO and Starz can be subscribed to via Amazon’s own service, keeping all of the content in one place in addition to Prime Video’s own movies and TV shows.

Apple’s move would be very similar to this approach and would differ from the discounted subscription model it tried to push to content providers previously, with movies and TV shows all coming under one umbrella and ultimately, one subscription.

Apple’s Apple TV set-top box continues to languish behind competition such as the Roku, Amazon and Google Chromecast, with Apple’s play to simplify content management on the platform likely to go some way to closing that gap. At least, that will be Apple’s hope.

(Source: Bloomberg)

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