Apple TV+ had an estimated 40M subscribers at the end of 2020

AppleInsider

Apple TV+ had an estimated 40 million subscribers at the end of 2020, according to a recent report from analysis firm Statista.

Credit: Apple

Apple has yet to reveal the actual subscriber count for its fledgling TV service, but Ampere Analysis estimated that the platform had hit 33.6 million subscribers by the end of 2019. Statista more recently estimated that the service hit 40 million by the end of the following year, according to Newsweek.

It's worth noting that many of Apple's subscribers are currently on a free trial. MoffetNathan data indicates that 62% of all Apple TV+ users were on a promotional plan. Apple has also extended its trial offer multiple times.

The publication also reports that Paramount+ has under 36 million subscribers, Hulu has 39.4 million, and Disney+ has 100 million. Netflix, for its part, has 207.64 million paid subscribers.

Analysts at JP Morgan have previously forecast that Apple TV+ could hit 100 million subscribers by 2025.

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indieshack

Not sure about anyone else, my sub - which was a freebie to begin with - has been extended for free twice. It's only recently that I've been starting to look at Apple Plus - the production quality is always great (not at all a bad thing!) but I don't see that much there, and what is there personally isn't all that appealing. I don't get a feeling of where they're heading with the content - I guess we'll see.

Trey_Lance

All the programming on Apple stem much more quality than Netflix , Disney? People like to watch Iron man 9 times, not me 

aykay55

I'm still on free trial and honestly there just isn't enough content - they have so many genres and not enough shows/movies in each genre. The quality of each of their productions is great but I think they also need to move away from producing their own content to just licensing most of their content, because that's the only way I think they'll gain enough content to make a subscription worth it. Also they need to partner with Google to add Chromecast support cuz I am not buying an Apple TV just to watch Ted Lasso on a big screen. The few shows and movie they do have, about 50% of them are nature documentaries or Earth-related, which is great if you're into that sort of thing, but I couldn't care less to waste my time watching it. There are a small selection of good shows, like Tehran and Losing Alice, and I heard For All Mankind was pretty good too. I also liked Cherry (it has Tom Holland so it has to be good) and Hala. One more thing tho: discoverability in their Apple TV app is bad. It feels like a nightmare to navigate and find something new to watch, which is very unusual from Apple. 

neverindoubt

indieshack said:

Not sure about anyone else, my sub - which was a freebie to begin with - has been extended for free twice. It's only recently that I've been starting to look at Apple Plus - the production quality is always great (not at all a bad thing!) but I don't see that much there, and what is there personally isn't all that appealing. I don't get a feeling of where they're heading with the content - I guess we'll see.

Everyone that was on a free trial has had it extended until June 30.

The interesting question is will they extend it again, and/or just make it a perpetually extendable "free bonus" with any Apple hardware purchase with a screen (or an AppleTV). Currently, the rules are just one free trial per family share household, not extendable by additional purchases.

Ultimately, it's got to work sort of like Amazon Prime Video. Something that's a bonus for being a customer that you wouldn't pay for otherwise.

jumpingcoco

There are some really good documentaries on Apple TV+

Trey_Lance

aykay55 said:

I'm still on free trial and honestly there just isn't enough content - they have so many genres and not enough shows/movies in each genre. The quality of each of their productions is great but I think they also need to move away from producing their own content to just licensing most of their content, because that's the only way I think they'll gain enough content to make a subscription worth it. Also they need to partner with Google to add Chromecast support cuz I am not buying an Apple TV just to watch Ted Lasso on a big screen. The few shows and movie they do have, about 50% of them are nature documentaries or Earth-related, which is great if you're into that sort of thing, but I couldn't care less to waste my time watching it. There are a small selection of good shows, like Tehran and Losing Alice, and I heard For All Mankind was pretty good too. I also liked Cherry (it has Tom Holland so it has to be good) and Hala. One more thing tho: discoverability in their Apple TV app is bad. It feels like a nightmare to navigate and find something new to watch, which is very unusual from Apple. 

They have more new content than Disney

Trey_Lance

If you like Original programming and shows, and refined high quality production , Apple
TV + is for you. But if you like watching Ironman 10 times or other Marvel stuff 40 times , choose Disney or you like cheaply made shows but a thousand of them, choose Netflix

i don’t have much time so I prefer Apple TV plus

i been watching “Tiny World” nothing like it any where

CarmB

I have no interest in legacy content that will only cost me more in part because I have a significant collection of movies spanning eight decades and covering all the genres. What I want from a streaming service is original content and for the most part it’s that original content that I use almost exclusively. Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. when I access those services I couldn’t care less about the inventory of legacy content. So it’s a good thing, not a downside, that Apple is all about original content and the pricing is set accordingly. 

Of course, in these early days, Apple needs more content but that will be addressed over time. I have used the service and enjoyed a lot of the content already so there’s a lot to like. It will only get better. Even so, if I were to add up all the hours of content I’ve enjoyed on let’s say Disney Plus, it would amount to less than what I’ve enjoyed on Apple TV+. The difference is that Disney charges more for a vast library of other content I will never access. 

I like the idea of Apple not bothering to add legacy content mainly for the purpose of charging more. Not charging more and not bothering with the filler suits me just fine. As long as Apple prices it’s service fairly, that it delivers mainly original content works perfectly with what I want. 

Trey_Lance

CarmB said:

I have no interest in legacy content that will only cost me more in part because I have a significant collection of movies spanning eight decades and covering all the genres. What I want from a streaming service is original content and for the most part it’s that original content that I use almost exclusively. Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. when I access those services I couldn’t care less about the inventory of legacy content. So it’s a good thing, not a downside, that Apple is all about original content and the pricing is set accordingly. 

Of course, in these early days, Apple needs more content but that will be addressed over time. I have used the service and enjoyed a lot of the content already so there’s a lot to like. It will only get better. Even so, if I were to add up all the hours of content I’ve enjoyed on let’s say Disney Plus, it would amount to less than what I’ve enjoyed on Apple TV+. The difference is that Disney charges more for a vast library of other content I will never access. 

I like the idea of Apple not bothering to add legacy content mainly for the purpose of charging more. Not charging more and not bothering with the filler suits me just fine. As long as Apple prices it’s service fairly, that it delivers mainly original content works perfectly with what I want. 

100 percent! I have most legacy movies I like in ITunes . Disney just came out of this show with John Stamos coaching high school girls, I mean, give me a
break!

Apple content if you look at Rotten Tomatoes all have higher audience ratings than the “critics”

Japhey

CarmB said:

I have no interest in legacy content that will only cost me more in part because I have a significant collection of movies spanning eight decades and covering all the genres. What I want from a streaming service is original content and for the most part it’s that original content that I use almost exclusively. Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. when I access those services I couldn’t care less about the inventory of legacy content. So it’s a good thing, not a downside, that Apple is all about original content and the pricing is set accordingly. 

Of course, in these early days, Apple needs more content but that will be addressed over time. I have used the service and enjoyed a lot of the content already so there’s a lot to like. It will only get better. Even so, if I were to add up all the hours of content I’ve enjoyed on let’s say Disney Plus, it would amount to less than what I’ve enjoyed on Apple TV+. The difference is that Disney charges more for a vast library of other content I will never access. 

I like the idea of Apple not bothering to add legacy content mainly for the purpose of charging more. Not charging more and not bothering with the filler suits me just fine. As long as Apple prices it’s service fairly, that it delivers mainly original content works perfectly with what I want. 

Couldn’t have said it better myself! Except to add that nearly every day we are getting reports of new tv series’s that Apple is picking up. There is A LOT of content in the pipeline. Once these shows start airing, that should address the most frequent criticism of the service. And if they are even half as good as the current lineup, then I truly believe that TV+ will be more respected than any of those others. Honestly. They just need their House of Cards breakout moment. 

I can’t wait for Foundation. 

Beats

Japhey said:

CarmB said:

I have no interest in legacy content that will only cost me more in part because I have a significant collection of movies spanning eight decades and covering all the genres. What I want from a streaming service is original content and for the most part it’s that original content that I use almost exclusively. Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. when I access those services I couldn’t care less about the inventory of legacy content. So it’s a good thing, not a downside, that Apple is all about original content and the pricing is set accordingly. 

Of course, in these early days, Apple needs more content but that will be addressed over time. I have used the service and enjoyed a lot of the content already so there’s a lot to like. It will only get better. Even so, if I were to add up all the hours of content I’ve enjoyed on let’s say Disney Plus, it would amount to less than what I’ve enjoyed on Apple TV+. The difference is that Disney charges more for a vast library of other content I will never access. 

I like the idea of Apple not bothering to add legacy content mainly for the purpose of charging more. Not charging more and not bothering with the filler suits me just fine. As long as Apple prices it’s service fairly, that it delivers mainly original content works perfectly with what I want. 

Couldn’t have said it better myself! Except to add that nearly every day we are getting reports of new tv series’s that Apple is picking up. There is A LOT of content in the pipeline. Once these shows start airing, that should address the most frequent criticism of the service. And if they are even half as good as the current lineup, then I truly believe that TV+ will be more respected than any of those others. Honestly. They just need their House of Cards breakout moment. 

I can’t wait for Foundation. 

Covid for sure ruined Apple’s plan. I bet we would have had 50-75% more content on the service by now. This is why I believe Apple extended the free trials. Now that the pandemic is calming down I’m sure you’ll see an influx of new content.

davgreg

I buy a lot of Apple stuff and they all seem to come with an Apple TV + subscription. I have not yet activated any of them and another one will be coming as my new iPad Pro is “preparing to ship”.

There are a lot of people selling TV subs and I am not seeing the value in what Apple is selling. I already get HBO Max with my AT&T wireless plan, Peacock with my Comcast landline internet and pay for YouTube TV to get live stuff. Despite all of that I probably watch more video on YouTube (not the TV service) than anywhere else.

Bruce Springsteen once wrote a song called “57 Channels and Nothin On”. Way more than 57 these days…

mike1

aykay55 said:

I'm still on free trial and honestly there just isn't enough content - they have so many genres and not enough shows/movies in each genre. The quality of each of their productions is great but I think they also need to move away from producing their own content to just licensing most of their content, because that's the only way I think they'll gain enough content to make a subscription worth it. Also they need to partner with Google to add Chromecast support cuz I am not buying an Apple TV just to watch Ted Lasso on a big screen. The few shows and movie they do have, about 50% of them are nature documentaries or Earth-related, which is great if you're into that sort of thing, but I couldn't care less to waste my time watching it. There are a small selection of good shows, like Tehran and Losing Alice, and I heard For All Mankind was pretty good too. I also liked Cherry (it has Tom Holland so it has to be good) and Hala. One more thing tho: discoverability in their Apple TV app is bad. It feels like a nightmare to navigate and find something new to watch, which is very unusual from Apple. 

Ridiculous comments.

Complain that there's not enough content and then that the content is broad just not deep yet. Apple has been in the TV production business for about two years and one of those years was during a pandemic that shut down virtually all production. It will come and at $5/mo after trials, still not bad for what is offered. Best part is that you can watch a show or two in a month, if that's all you're interested in, and then cancel and then do it again in a year.

You must be totally out of touch with reality to suggest that they should "just license" more content. If you've been paying attention at all, you would know that is impossible. Everyone is pulling their content from licensing and has started their own streaming services. Disney+, Peacock, Paramount and HBO Max to name a few. There is no content to "just license". Why do you think Netflix has moved heavily into original programming? If they didn't, they'd have nothing to stream in a couple of years as all the old deals expired.

What on earth would be gained from adding Chromecast?! Like asking Chevy to put a Ford Engine in their trucks. There are dozens, if not more, TVs that support Apple TV and you can watch from any iPhone or iPad if you are only interested in one show.

End of the day, if you don't think the original program is for you, don't subscribe. That was tough.

CarmB

davgreg said:

I buy a lot of Apple stuff and they all seem to come with an Apple TV + subscription. I have not yet activated any of them and another one will be coming as my new iPad Pro is “preparing to ship”.

There are a lot of people selling TV subs and I am not seeing the value in what Apple is selling. I already get HBO Max with my AT&T wireless plan, Peacock with my Comcast landline internet and pay for YouTube TV to get live stuff. Despite all of that I probably watch more video on YouTube (not the TV service) than anywhere else.

Bruce Springsteen once wrote a song called “57 Channels and Nothin On”. Way more than 57 these days…

Am I correct in assuming you haven’t watched any of the Apple TV+ content but have concluded that it isn’t worth bothering over?

Trey_Lance

davgreg said:

I buy a lot of Apple stuff and they all seem to come with an Apple TV + subscription. I have not yet activated any of them and another one will be coming as my new iPad Pro is “preparing to ship”.

There are a lot of people selling TV subs and I am not seeing the value in what Apple is selling. I already get HBO Max with my AT&T wireless plan, Peacock with my Comcast landline internet and pay for YouTube TV to get live stuff. Despite all of that I probably watch more video on YouTube (not the TV service) than anywhere else.

Bruce Springsteen once wrote a song called “57 Channels and Nothin On”. Way more than 57 these days…

If you like a bunch of old crap, Things  like Peacock and HBO is for you . If you like state of the art produced programming, Apple Plus is for you. Pretty simple 

entropys

Very  Public Television
Not enough content

I will give it a pass for now.

crowley

Trey_Lance said:

davgreg said:

I buy a lot of Apple stuff and they all seem to come with an Apple TV + subscription. I have not yet activated any of them and another one will be coming as my new iPad Pro is “preparing to ship”.

There are a lot of people selling TV subs and I am not seeing the value in what Apple is selling. I already get HBO Max with my AT&T wireless plan, Peacock with my Comcast landline internet and pay for YouTube TV to get live stuff. Despite all of that I probably watch more video on YouTube (not the TV service) than anywhere else.

Bruce Springsteen once wrote a song called “57 Channels and Nothin On”. Way more than 57 these days…

If you like a bunch of old crap, Things  like Peacock and HBO is for you . If you like state of the art produced programming, Apple Plus is for you. Pretty simple 

"state of the art" doesn't really apply to TV shows, and even if did, HBO would occupy that space just as much as Apple does with a much bigger catalogue.