Apple TV+ has many more subscribers than you might imagine. Since its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ positioned itself as an alternative streaming service where quality weighed more than quantity, the proper names of improvised experiments where conservation during transmission was in line with production values: Dolby Vision, Dolby Amos and intelligent compression algorithms in the service of excellence. And apparently his strategy paid off.
Unsurprisingly, since that start, Apple TV is estimated to have racked up more nominations and awards than any other platform: 369 awards and 1,478 nominations in total. Yet Apple TV+ emerged at the worst possible time, with entrenched competition and solid trade deals. Thriving on this minefield has not been easy.
Apple TV+ marks all-time highs in its share
In these two years we have gone through gigantic productions such as ‘See’, by Steven Knight and alternative and bizarre proposals such as ‘Calls’, by Fede Álvarez. In between, addictive thrillers like M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Servant’, undeniable surprises like ‘Separation’, wonders like ‘1971: The Year Music Changed Everything’, and all the usual talent from ‘The Morning Show’. Humanity’, the bombastic ‘Foundation’ or our favorite comedy, the beloved ‘Ted Lasso’.
And there are many more: ‘The Essex Serpent’, ‘The Luminous Ones’, ‘The Drops of God’… did you know that Korean director Kim Ji-Wood, the master behind the film ‘ I found the devil’ Do you have an exclusive series for Apple TV+? It’s called ‘Dr Brain’ and they confirm that Apple is going all the way with original material and quality content, regardless of its subsequent popularity.
Consolidating popularity: Today, Apple TV+ reigns over more than 11% of the ad-free streaming market in May 2023. Two years ago, its share was 3%. In other words, one in five viewers of streaming series and movies has an account used on Apple TV+. Netflix is still the queen, with 32% market share
According to a report from consulting firm Antenna covered by Business Insider, Apple TV+ is already number 3 in number of subscribersahead of veteran Max (HBO Max), owned by Warner Brothers, or Paramount+.
Ads for everyone
Of course, Apple still isn’t competing in the ad-streaming segment. Hiring Lauren Fry aspires to grow that publicity, but there’s still a long way to go. And it’s in this segment that the competition is all-consuming: Netflix and Disney+ have plans that made them grow when everything pointed to a ceiling in the market—although only 2% and 5% of former subscribers, respectively, opt for this model- .
It should be borne in mind that going down to one of these levels, for many users, is considered a loss of options. It is not in vain that he degrades, literally, options for number of user accounts, streaming quality and others. When new users first came to Netflix, 58% of Americans switched to one of these ad-supported tiers, clearly showing that there is ample room for growth here. One that Apple TV+ can take advantage of.
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