Apple Inc. has sent out invitations for an event March 25 where it’s expected to debut a new streaming video and television service along with a news subscription service.

All but confirming that the streaming product is coming, Apple promoted the event with a film-style countdown followed by an Apple logo with the words “It’s show time” underneath it.

Apple’s development of a video streaming service to take on Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com’s Prime TV has been the worst kept secret in the tech and entertainment industries going back years. Whereas Apple could control in-house development of a new iPhone, keeping the fact that leading Hollywood actors are working on movies for the service was completely impossible for a company that has long favored secrecy.

Apple is known to have signed a content deal with Oprah Winfrey and is said to be developing original TV shows that include Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell and Aaron Paul along with directors J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg. Exactly what form the video and television service will take is not certain, but it’s expected to take a similar path to Amazon Prime TV.

Along with a mixture of original and licensed content, Apple is expected to offer content from other entertainment providers through paid subscriptions from within the new app. In December it was rumored that Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.’s Starz, Showtime and certain Viacom Corp. channels would be available at launch, with HBO another possibility.

Apple event March 25 pic.twitter.com/BkaJyXCkYS

— John Paczkowski (@JohnPaczkowski) March 11, 2019

Second on the likely launch list in Apple’s news new subscription service. It will likely incorporate existing subscription offers from Texture, a digital newsstand service Apple acquired in March 2018. Although Texture primarily offered magazines, Apple’s new product is rumored to include newspaper subscriptions as well.

In February it was reported the service, which is reported to cost $10 per month, was having problems enticing newspapers to join the service because Apple wanted to take a 50 percent cut. Publishers such as the Washington Post and The New York Times were said to be holding out because they were not pleased with the terms on offer, particularly given that they earn more from their own digital subscription services.

The news and streaming service are the most likely to be debuted at the event, although some are speculating that Apple may throw in a few hardware announcements for good measure as well. VentureBeat noted that Apple may take the opportunity to debut hardware related to the news subscription service, including a seventh-generation iPad, fifth-generation iPad mini and potentially a third larger model.

Image: Apple