Apple announced today during its product keynote in Cupertino, CA that the Apple TV+ would be launching on November 1st and that users will get access to 4K content from the very start. Apple made references to being called out for being late to the game of TV streaming however they’ve answered saying when they launch Apple TV+ they didn’t need to be first, they just needed to be the best.
Apple is not alone in launching with 4K content. A couple weeks ago at D23 Disney announced that Disney+ would also have 4K content at launch. Last month, Hulu brought back support for 4K content from their SVOD service after launching support in 2016 and abruptly removing it last year. Previously, you were able to stream Hulu Originals and select films like the entire James Bond library in 4K on gaming consoles like PS4 and Xbox One. However, Hulu only brought back support for 4K streaming to Apple TV 4K and Chromecast Ultra, this time around.
Various streaming services have offered 4K content including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Netflix has nearly 600 titles in 4K including their original series and some licensed content like Planet Earth, but requires their more expensive Ultra Plan ($16). Amazon Prime Video offers all it original content in 4K (some in HDR), as well as ~50 films like Arrival, Philadelphia, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. fuboTV is the only Live TV Streaming Service to offer live events like the World Cup, Major League Baseball, College Football, and College Basketball live in 4K.