Apple TV+ will not be attending SXSW over coronavirus concerns

Apple TV (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple TV+ has pulled out of SXSW in Austin, Texas.
It's concerned about the coronavirus outbreak.
There were three new projects planned for debuts at the event.

Apple TV+ has confirmed that it won't be attending the annual SXSW event in Austin, Texas. The ongoing coronavirus situation is said to be the reason, according to a Bloomberg report.

With the event starting on March 13, Apple TV+ had intended to share three new projects during the event, including the Spike Jonze documentary about the Beastie Boys. That will no longer be happening.

Apple TV+ isn't the first media outfit to decide against having a presence at the hugely popular SXSW event, with Netflix also having pulled out over coronavirus concerns. Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter have done the same. It isn't clear whether the event as a whole will ultimately be canceled, however.

Apple itself had been rumored to have a March media event planned, with new devices set to be announced. That now looks increasingly unlikely, with smaller media events likely to take place instead. Assuming all the rumors were correct in the first place, of course.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.