Apple TV: What You Need To Know About The New App, Apple Channels, And Apple TV+

It was already going to be a big year in the video streaming space with the fall launch of "Disney+" but this week saw another major name enter the market.

Tech giant Apple on Monday announced the new Apple TV, though it isn’t as straightforward as the other similar services.

Apple TV App

First is the Apple TV app, itself. The app will be the centerpiece of the new service, acting as the home for all the content audiences.

However, it won’t be an all-at-once rollout. Apple TV box, iPhone, and iPad owners will get the app first through a free software update in May, followed by Samsung TVs in spring and Mac this fall. Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO will then receive the app in the near future.

An added bonus will be the new AirPlay 2, which will allow iPhone and iPad owners to play content from the Apple TV app directly to VIZIO, Samsung, LG and Sony smart TVs.

Most importantly, the app itself will be free out the gate, but the content will require a fee.

Apple TV Channels

Within the Apple TV app will be subscription-based channels. Anyone who has used Prime Video Channels from Amazon would be immediately familiar with this setup.

The Apple TV app will offer channels like HBO and Showtime. This setup through the app streamlines the process, not requiring extra apps or login information to start watching the content available.

Subscribers can share access to channels on the App with up to six family members. If keeping a smooth connection is a problem, content will be available to download from channel subscriptions on the Apple TV app.

Apple TV+

Perhaps the most intriguing is the release of Apple TV+. This isn’t a prototypical streaming content provider like Netflix or Amazon Prime, since it will only offer Apple’s growing list of original content.

Set for a fall launch, it will come with content from some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Leading the charge will be Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.

Oprah will produce two untitled documentaries, which will explore topics like mental health and labor, though not much else is known at this point.

Spielberg will be the driving force behind the reboot of "Amazing Stories." The original show from the '80s was a sci-fi/fantasy anthology series in the vain of a "Twilight Zone" and will serve as Apple's option to compete with Netflix's popular series "Black Mirror" and the returning "Twilight Zone" on CBS All Access.

There will also be content coming from such names as J.J. Abrams, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carrell, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Momoa and Kumail Nanjiani.