But that number may be misleading: In January, Variety reported that more than 62% of those on the platform have a free subscriber through one of Apple's hardware promotions, which Apple keeps extending.Īpple's strategy appears to be shifting.
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Apple doesn't share subscriber numbers, but Statista estimates that by the end of 2020, Apple TV Plus had about 40 million subscribers. Ultimately the platform is hurt by its lack of a back catalog - especially compared to NBC's streaming newcomer Peacock, which has a free tier with 13,000 hours of shows that include bingeable favorites like Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock.
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But sometimes the service drops a full season all at once. Most Apple TV Plus series initially premiere a few episodes at once, followed by one new episode each week to keep you hooked. Other originals at launch included the book-focused Oprah Winfrey talk show Oprah's Book Club the post-apocalyptic thriller See starring Jason Momoa, the alternative retelling of the space program For All Mankind and the Hailee Steinfeld-starring comedy Dickinson about poet Emily Dickinson. It's since been renewed for three seasons. Though Apple does not report viewership data, Deadline reported that Ted Lasso became the most-watched show on the platform last year across all top 50 countries and greatly increased subscriptions. Its marquee drama, The Morning Show, which stars Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carrell, had a huge $300 million reported budget.įor a while, that was the closest the platform had to a real breakout - until Ted Lasso premiered in August 2020 and became the world's midwestern sweetheart.
2019 it only had 9 titles on the whole platform, with a strategy that seemed to be focused on keeping the platform small and high-quality.
The Mandalorian, WandaVision, Avengers Endgame, Toy Story, The SimpsonsĪll-original content, nothing familiar to bingeĪpple's current slate of nearly 60 original shows and movies includes comedies, dramas, documentaries and talk shows. Handmaid's Tale, Catch-22, Lost, Bob's Burgers Maisel, Hunters, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Big Sick Stranger Things, The Queen's Gambit, Breaking Bad, Tiger King
Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Dickinson, For All Mankind $9 (or included with $120/year Prime membership)īasic $6 with ads, ad-free Premium for $12, Live TV for $65 But until it adds a catalog of familiar shows or a buzzy original ( Foundation in 2021, perhaps?) it will remain a secondary streaming choice at best for most people. Read more: Apple TV Plus: Best movies to watch right nowĪpple TV Plus has made strides in the last year or so and will continue to improve in the future, with more star-studded originals on the way. Shows like The Morning Show, Mythic Quest, Dickinson and Little America have also garnered some critical praise, but few have made cultural waves the way that, say, The Mandalorian did for Disney Plus. Its biggest (and perhaps most unexpected) breakout hit so far has been Ted Lasso, the Jason Sudeikis dramedy about an American football coach who gets hired to coach a British Premier League soccer team, which recently won several awards.
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Whether the service is worth $5 a month for you - or less, depending on whether you get it for free after buying an Apple device or a discount as part of Apple's new Apple One bundle - depends on how excited you are to watch those originals.