Samsung Announces An iTunes App As Apple Tries To Be More Accessible Before Streaming Service Launch

Apple has a new streaming service with original content on the way. If they want to lure in new customers who want to watch, they'll have to start playing nice with other companies by giving them the ability to play iTunes movies and TV shows, something that has been exclusive to Apple devices for years now. A new announcement from Samsung indicates that's exactly what Apple is starting to do.Samsung revealed over the weekend that their 2018 and 2019 Smart TVs would support AirPlay 2 or iTunes movies and TV shows. Keep in mind that's only one company out of several that need to play nice with Apple to expand the customer base for their subscription service, but that's a huge deal that no one ever thought would happen.Samsung made the announcement on January 6 that starting in spring 2019, their new television models would support both iTunes movies and TV shows. This will hapen by way of a new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app that will debut only on Samsung Smart TVs in more than 100 countries. Meanwhile, with AirPlay 2, Samsung televisions will now allow audio, photos and videos to easily play from Apple devices in 190 countries worldwide

As for their 2018 Smart TVs, a firmware update will give them the same ability. This new update includes QLED 4K and 8K TVs, The Frame and Serif lifestyle TVs, as well as other Samsung UHD and HD models.

That means Samsung televisions will now give users the ability to access the iTunes library, buy or rent movies and TV shows from the store, and watch all the movies and TV shows they've already bought from Apple in the past. And this is likely just the beginning of a major shift for Apple, especially since they aren't making their own televisions (though there have been rumors in the past of that happening). So we'll likely hear of Apple striking deals with other television manufacturers in the near future.

The real question is whether we'll start to see iTunes and AirPlay 2 made available for devices like the Roku, Chromecast and Amazon's Fire TV Stick. The former two of those three outsell the Apple TV on the US market, and unless Apple plans to drop the price on their Apple TV, they'll want those customers to have easy access to their forthcoming streaming service. However, Google and Amazon may not be so keen on helping Apple out. The latter has their own original content they're pushing all the time, and Google still has similar ambitions, albeit through YouTube. So we'll have to wait and see how that pans out.

Either way, this is a promising step in the right direction for Apple as they start to veer away from exclusivity, at least when it comes to accessing entertainment. Stay tuned for more soon.