Technology

At its big press event yesterday, Apple announced that its TV+ streaming service would cost $4.99 per month and a launch date on November 1. But itsupposed to be available in more than 100 countries, so what does that pricing look like outside the United States?

The Streamable has rounded up TV+ pricing in different countries — and you can verify the number yourself by checking out the country&specific versions of Appleannouncement.

The service will cost $5.99 CAD ($4.54 US) in Canada, £4.99 ($6.15) in the United Kingdom, 4.99€ ($5.50) in the rest of Europe, A$7.99 ($5.48) in Australia, 600 JPY ($5.57) in Japan and INR 99 ($1.38) in India. Thatsignificantly cheaper than Netflix or Disney+ across-the-board — though in India, itstill more expensive than Disney-owned Hotstar.

And if thatnot affordable enough for you, you&ll also get a year of free access when you purchase select Apple hardware.

The launch titles should include&The Morning Show& (a drama set in the world of morning TV and starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell) and &See& (a post-apocalyptic series starring Jason Momoa).

The BBC and Quibi are partnering to make a new daily international news show for millennials.

The two companies said that the new programming, which will be featured as part of Quibi &Daily Essentials& programming, will be filmed in the Beebcentral London headquarters five days a week and each segment will be five minutes long.

The show aims to catch viewers up with all the news from around the world in five minutes, according to the two companies.

&Since the BBC began life as a start-up in 1922 we have been focused on two things: innovating to reach our audiences in new ways; and providing trustworthy news and entertainment of the highest quality,& said BBC Global News chief executive, Jim Egan in a statement. &Technology is changing constantly, as is the world at large and we&re delighted to be working with an innovative new player like Quibi to bring young audiences a daily made-for-mobile global news update of the highest quality from our unparalleled network of international correspondents and experts.&

The BBC also has news programming distributed on Snap and FacebookInstagram. So the company seems to be covering its bases to ensure it doesn&t miss out on the potential next big thing in media platforms.

&BBC News is one of the most respected news brands around the globe, and in particular for millennials in America today,& said Jeffrey Katzenberg, founder and chairman of the board of Quibi. &We&re proud to partner with them to create a daily international news report for Quibi.&

The deal with the BBC follows a July announcement that Quibi had also hooked up with NBC News for programming. As we reported at the time, that deal includes a six-minute morning and evening news show for Quibiservice.

NBC News also runs a Snapchat news show called Stay Tuned that reaches millions, and recently launched its own digital streaming news network, NBC News Now, delivered through its NBC app.

The mobile-only streaming service is set for an April 2020 launch, and has already announced a big slate of programming from top-tier filmmakers and actors.

Some of the highlights include commitments from filmmakers Sam Raimi, Guillermo del Toro and Antoine Fuqua and producer Jason Blum to create series for the service, plus a show called &Inspired By& with Justin Timberlake.

As we&ve reported, subscribers to Quibi can also expect a show about Snapchatfounding, anaction-thriller starring Liam Hemsworth, a murder mysterycomedy from SNLLorne Michaels, a beautydocuseries from Tyra Banks, aSteven Spielberg horror show, acomedy from Thomas Lennon, acar-stunt series with Idris Elba and more.

In light of gig worker protections bill AB-5 passing in the California State Senate last night, and amendments to AB-5 passing in the Assembly this morning, Uber has made it clear it plans to do whatever it takes to keep its drivers independent contractors.

&We will continue to advocate for a compromise agreement,& Uber Chief Legal Officer Tony West said on a press call today.

As Uber outlined last month, the company is pushing for a framework that would establish a guaranteed earnings minimum while on a trip, offer portable benefits and enable drivers to &have a collective voice.&

He went on to say that Uber is continuing to explore several legal and political options to lay the groundwork for a statewide ballot initiative in 2020. Uber and Lyft announced a $60 million joint initiative last month, and now, West is saying Uber is open to investing even more money in that committee account.

&This is not our first choice,& West said. &At the same time, we need to make sure we are exploring all options and all alternatives to put forward a framework that works for the 21st-century economy and we believe we have a framework that does that.&

AB-5 would help to ensure gig economy workers are entitled to minimum wage, workers& compensation and other benefits by requiring employers to apply the ABC test. The bill, first introduced in December 2018, aims to codify the ruling established in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v Superior Court of Los Angeles. In that case, the court applied the ABC test and decided Dynamex wrongfully classified its workers as independent contractors.

According to theABC test, in order for a hiring entity to legally classify a worker as an independent contractor, it must prove the worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity, performs work outside the scope of the entitybusiness and is regularly engaged in an &independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed.&

If Uber were to fail this test, drivers would not be able to determine when, where and how often they work, nor would they be able to work for more than one platform at a time, West said.

&I do think there would be significant changes in the experience drivers would have,& West said.

But West believes Uber would not fail this test. While it will be required to pass this test in the likely event AB-5 gets signed into law, West pointed out &we have been successful in arguing under this ABC test in the past that drivers are independent and independent contractors. We believe that to be true.&

There would surely be a financial impact if Uber fails the test, but West declined to comment on just what that fiscal impact would be. Industry analysts, however, have estimated it could result in up to a 30% cost increase.

As noted earlier, the bill is expected to pass, as Gov. Gavin Newsom has previously expressed his support for the measure. Though, Newsom said earlier today, hestill in negotiations with both Uber and Lyft.

&The governor has been pretty clear he is fully committed to a negotiated solution here,& West said. &Hebeen clear to us on that message in private and has publicly stated that now.&

Following the billpassing in the Senate, Lyft said the state missed an opportunity to support the majority of rideshare drivers who want a solution that balances flexibility with earnings standard and benefits.

&The fact that there were more than 50 industries carved out of AB-5 is very telling,& a Lyft spokesperson said. &We are fully prepared to take this issue to the voters of California to preserve the freedom and access drivers and riders want and need.&

Earlier today, Lyft sent out an email to drivers regarding AB-5 and how if itsigned into law, drivers &may soon be required to drive specific shifts, stick to specific areas, and drive for only a single platform (such as Lyft, Uber, Doordash, or others).&

Despite what Uber and Lyft are saying, there are a number of drivers who have fought long and hard to ensure the bill passes. Two of the main organizations behind the actions in support of AB-5 are Gig Workers Rising and Mobile Workers Alliance. In addition to urging legislators to pass AB-5, Uber and Lyft drivers organizing with Gig Workers Rising also want the right to form a union.

&AB 5 is only the beginning,& Edan Alva, a driver with Gig Workers Rising, said in a statement. &I talk daily to other drivers who want a change but they are scared. They don&t want to lose their only source of income. But just because someone really needs to work does not mean that their rights as a worker should be stepped all over. That is why a union is critical. It simply won&t work without it.&