 A new service unlike anything that's been done before. Apple is one of the strangest competitors entering the streaming war space. On November 1st, the company is launching Apple TV Plus, its most extravagant attempt at developing original TV series and movies. With nine original titles at launch, a content budget north of $5 billion, and multiple season orders from Hollywood A-listers, Apple finally means business. Apple is trying to get away from its past image. Think more Reese Witherspoon acting as an idealistic journalist, and less Gwyneth Paltrow reviewing potential App Store apps. God, I'm crying. Apple doesn't have Disney's catalog of movies and TV series, or Netflix's demonstrated string of successful shows. But Apple isn't playing the same game as Netflix or Disney. Apple is taking its cues from Amazon. It's best to think of TV Plus as trying to replicate what Amazon did. Apple is going to give one free year of TV Plus to anyone who purchases a new or refurbished product. Those people can then give five free subscriptions to family members and friends via Apple's family sharing plan. Think of it as Apple Prime Video. But let's get the butt out of the way first. TV Plus technically is a TV series, but it comes with a $5 a month price tag. That's only $2 cheaper than Disney Plus. But unlike Disney, Apple is hoping to leverage its hardware to give people TV Plus for free. Apple has 1.4 billion active devices around the world. If that trend continues, that means hundreds of millions of people are going to get TV Plus for free. There's probably a lot of people watching this who are going to buy an Apple product in the next few months. Even if it's just to check out the shows and movies that Apple is doing, they're probably going to subscribe to TV Plus. It's free, so why not? Throughout the year, Apple is going to continue to add to its catalog with movies and TV shows that keep people hooked. But TV Plus is just one ingredient. Apple already announced its first bundle. Those on Apple Music's student plan will be able to get Apple TV Plus for free. Apple is also reportedly working on a bundle that could include its other services. That's its regular music plan, news, its new gaming platform, Apple Arcade, as well as additional iCloud storage. Like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus isn't designed to be a major revenue driver for the company. It's not an iPhone. But selling services is a key part of Apple's future. If you forget that you're actually paying for TV Plus, then the bundle works. Amazon Prime is the ideal situation. It's only after you're done buying toilet paper that an ad for Fleabag or Marvelous Mrs. Maisel pops up, reminding you that through Amazon Prime, you have access to these award-winning shows. Apple might do the same. They're already kind of doing it. If I open up iTunes, maybe I want to check out the new Selena Gomez track, I get served an ad that says, free on Apple TV. If I click on it, I also get served with this big reminder that Apple TV Plus is coming on November 1st. You have to imagine that it's only going to be more prominent once the service actually launches. I could be reading an article on Apple News or playing a game on Apple Arcade, and I'll probably be served an ad for The Morning Show, one of Apple's most anticipated shows. Figuring out what a streaming service looks like is key to being a player in the streaming wars. There are content-driven strategies, and there are service-based strategies. Take Disney Plus. The first week is free, but for $6.99 a month after that, you're basically just signing up to stream a big portion of Disney's library. There are some new shows and movies, but there's also a good chance people just want to be able to stream all eight Star Wars movies before the rise of Skywalker comes out. Apple is eventually trying to sell people on efficiency. Unlike Disney Plus or streaming services like HBO Max, they don't come with gaming, news, or music subscriptions. Apple, like Amazon, wants to put everything into one place. They want to sell you on easiness. The more tied-in people are to Apple's ecosystem, the better it is for Apple. The company just needs to convince people it's also better for them. Stephen Schur, the former vice president of Amazon Prime, told Recode earlier this year that when Prime first launched, it struggled. It wasn't until video and music that Amazon Prime really took off. Video, in particular, was a big, big transformer. Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, has long credited Amazon Prime Video as a key player in helping to bring in Amazon Prime subscribers. Shows like Transparent were winning Emmys, and people wanted to see what all the hype was about. Bezos claimed that the more time people spend on video, the more likely they are to buy things from the Amazon store. Amazon developed a strategy that Apple's eventually going to want to copy. Create a digital shop for everything, and people are eventually going to want to stay. But even though TV Plus is free right now, we are eventually going to pay. Whether it's through being hooked on TV Plus' offerings or subscribing to Apple's inevitable bundle, there will be a monthly fee we pay. But it's an easier sell for Apple to get people hooked on a bundle they can't live without. If I'm paying every month for music and news and gaming and TV, it's less likely I'm going to leave. Even though Apple's streaming service isn't going to replace Netflix, there's a good chance that one year from now, we're still going to be watching TV Plus and willing to pay for more. Once you're in, it's hard to get out. Thanks for watching, guys. I want to draw your attention to a real big collaboration happening across YouTube right now. It's being led by Mr. Beast, and it's called Team Trees. If you go to teamtrees.org and donate a dollar, the Arbor Day Foundation will match that by planting a tree. The goal is to reach 20 million, and they're about halfway there.