Apple has unveiled its new TV streaming platform, Apple TV+, at a star-studded event in California.
Jennifer Aniston, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey were among those who took to the stage at Apple’s headquarters to reveal their involvement in TV projects commissioned by the tech giant.
The platform will include shows from existing services like Hulu and HBO.
Apple also announced that it would be launching a credit card, gaming portal and enhanced news app.
The event was held in California and Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook was clear from the start that the announcements would be about new services, not new devices.
It is a change of direction for the 42-year-old company.
There had been much anticipation about Apple’s predicted foray into the TV streaming market, dominated by the likes of Amazon and Netflix.
The Apple TV+ app was unveiled by Steven Spielberg and will launch in the autumn.
Spielberg will himself be creating some material for the new platform, he said.
Other stars who took to the stage included Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodard, comedian Kumail Nanjiani and Big Bird from Sesame Street.
The app will be made available on rival devices for the first time, coming to Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio smart TVs as well as Amazon’s Firestick and Roku.
The Apple Card credit card will launch in the US this summer.
There will be both an iPhone and physical version of the card, with a cashback incentive on every purchase.
The credit card will have no late fees, annual fees or international fees, said Apple Pay VP Jennifer Bailey.
It has been created with the help of Goldman Sachs and MasterCard.
