Apple planning to roll out its streaming TV service in over 100 countries in 2019

Apple is planning to come out with its own streaming TV service next year. Starting in the US, the service is expected to roll out in over 100 countries in what is being seen as Apple's response to Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Disney's upcoming streaming service.According to a report in The Information, the Apple TV service is expected to launch in the first half of 2019. It is not known if the service will exist as a standalone app or would be bundled with the current TV app. The streaming TV is expected to have a good mix of original programming content, third-party video services as well as the option to subscribe to TV channel packages.[caption id="attachment_4139069" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Apple TV 4K[/caption]The service is expected to be free for Apple device owners and would appear as a home interface for Apple TV. According to the report, Apple does not want to let the software exist outside its own hardware, so unlike say a Netflix app or a Prime Video app which is mainly distributed via the app interface which can be present not only on Amazon hardware such as Fire Stick, but also be bundled with smart TVs or streaming set-top boxes, Apple's streaming service will only be available on Apple devices. If Apple is indeed willing to face off against Netflix, the restriction to Apple devices seems like a bad idea.But unlike Netflix and Prime Video, Apple is expected to give away its streaming service for free to Apple device owners. That seems quite unlike Apple, considering it is planning on coming up with original content, which will come with its own added production costs.According to a report in The Verge, Apple has signed a multi-year deal with Oprah Winfrey, there are plans to get a Hunger Games-style dystopian series called See, a thriller series by M Night Shyamalan, a drama starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, an adaptation of Issac Asimov's sci-fi novel Foundation and much more.