Apple TV+ drama 'Masters of the Air' is most-watched series launch ever for the service

AppleInsider

Apple never shares exact viewer numbers, but "Masters of the Air" has surpassed the previous unknown record for the most-watched series launch on Apple TV+.

'Masters of the Air' on Apple TV+

"Masters of the Air" debuted on Apple TV+ on January 26. It is a historical drama produced by the same team behind "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific," which may have helped spur the new series' popularity.

According to a report from Variety, the Steven Spielberg drama "Masters of the Air" has become the most-watched series launch ever on Apple TV+. Of course, Apple doesn't provide any specific metrics, like when it doubled an unknown number of viewing hours in 2023 or saw "Ted Lasso" season 2 break an unknown record for season premiere views.

The key language for this record is "more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple TV+ series ever has in its first season." There have been several anticipated first-season launches on Apple TV+, but no news on which one set the original record.

When secrecy is a priority, it can lead to somewhat ambiguous metrics being shared by a company, and Apple isn't the only offender. It's especially difficult to decipher such news from one of the smaller streaming services where such a metric can be incredibly small for the rest of the industry.

A few more metrics were shared around the "Masters of the Air" launch. Viewership across all Apple TV+ increased by 65% worldwide compared to the previous seven-day period, plus Apple TV+ saw double-digit growth across more than 100 countries.

The spike in viewership and growth metrics likely can be traced back to a multitude of people signing up for the service with a free trial to watch the new show. After the available episodes are watched, five as of Monday, the new trial users would spread out to other content to take advantage of the free period.

What's more important, and likely won't be shared, is how many of these "Masters of the Air" viewers will be converted into recurring paying subscribers. The final episode of the season will be released on March 15, just days before a one-month free trial, or one-month paid subscription, ends.



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eightzero

I subscribed specifically for MotA. It is excellently done. The GCI is way better than any I've ever seen; and the action is disturbingly realistic.

williamh

I am watching the show but it's not my favorite.  I am a fan of the genre but I find the acting unconvincing.   Frankly, I am very surprised that this is Apple's most watched show.  But then I think Slow Horses and Tehran are simply awesome and the whole world doesn't seem to share that view.   I'm really looking forward to the next seasons of both. 

 

tmay

Now Tom Hanks, and Steven Spielberg, make a series of the famous naval battle, "The Battle Off Samar".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar

MustSeeUHDTV

Masters of the Air is a pretty good series. It’s no Band of Brothers, but definitely crushes The Pacific. 

sflagel

Sugary war hero tripe. Somebody needs to acknowledge that all war is evil, all bombing is evil; maybe necessary evil as when fighting the Nazis, but still evil.

foregoneconclusion

sflagel said:

Sugary war hero tripe. Somebody needs to acknowledge that all war is evil, all bombing is evil; maybe necessary evil as when fighting the Nazis, but still evil.

There's no "maybe" when it comes to Nazis. There were governments that tried appeasement and it didn't work out too well. 

sflagel

foregoneconclusion said:

sflagel said:

Sugary war hero tripe. Somebody needs to acknowledge that all war is evil, all bombing is evil; maybe necessary evil as when fighting the Nazis, but still evil.

There's no "maybe" when it comes to Nazis. There were governments that tried appeasement and it didn't work out too well. 

The word "maybe" does not qualify the war against the Nazis; it qualifies the evilness of bombing by clarifying that sometimes it is necessary, for example ("as" is a synonym for "for example") in the fight against the Nazis. It seems to me that we agree on this.

The soldiers depicted as heroes in this series are not morally better humans, they do the same evil acts as the German soldiers do; they just perform evil acts for a better cause.

eightzero

sflagel said:

foregoneconclusion said:

sflagel said:

Sugary war hero tripe. Somebody needs to acknowledge that all war is evil, all bombing is evil; maybe necessary evil as when fighting the Nazis, but still evil.

There's no "maybe" when it comes to Nazis. There were governments that tried appeasement and it didn't work out too well. 

The word "maybe" does not qualify the war against the Nazis; it qualifies the evilness of bombing by clarifying that sometimes war is necessary, for example ("as" is a synonym for "for example") in the fight against the Nazis. It seems to me that we agree on this.

The soldiers depicted as heroes in this series are not morally better humans, they are equally evil as German soldiers; they just perform evil acts for a better cause.

I take offense to that. My family served in the very unit that is depicted in this series, and were killed so you could enjoy freedom from those nazi's and fascists. Knock it off. And I will say that the actors in this series are (and look) way older than the kids that got sent off to defend others.

sflagel

eightzero said:

sflagel said:

foregoneconclusion said:

sflagel said:

Sugary war hero tripe. Somebody needs to acknowledge that all war is evil, all bombing is evil; maybe necessary evil as when fighting the Nazis, but still evil.

There's no "maybe" when it comes to Nazis. There were governments that tried appeasement and it didn't work out too well. 

The word "maybe" does not qualify the war against the Nazis; it qualifies the evilness of bombing by clarifying that sometimes war is necessary, for example ("as" is a synonym for "for example") in the fight against the Nazis. It seems to me that we agree on this.

The soldiers depicted as heroes in this series are not morally better humans, they are equally evil as German soldiers; they just perform evil acts for a better cause.

I take offense to that. My family served in the very unit that is depicted in this series, and were killed so you could enjoy freedom from those nazi's and fascists. Knock it off. And I will say that the actors in this series are (and look) way older than the kids that got sent off to defend others.

Yes, it was for a good cause. We all appreciate the sacrifice. I am also sure they were not at all like the series. I am criticising the series, not the cause.

13485

williamh said:

I am watching the show but it's not my favorite.  I am a fan of the genre but I find the acting unconvincing.   Frankly, I am very surprised that this is Apple's most watched show.  But then I think Slow Horses and Tehran are simply awesome and the whole world doesn't seem to share that view.   I'm really looking forward to the next seasons of both. 

 

I agree with your opinion on Slow Horses and Tehran. As far as the acting on Masters of the Air, remember that the actors are very young, just like the actual airmen, whom I can safely say were kids themselves. I wouldn't expect them to be Royal Shakespeare Company level yet. But it's not realistic to have established actors of older age in these roles, as other movies and shows over the years have done.

eightzero

sflagel said:

eightzero said:

sflagel said:

foregoneconclusion said:

sflagel said:

Sugary war hero tripe. Somebody needs to acknowledge that all war is evil, all bombing is evil; maybe necessary evil as when fighting the Nazis, but still evil.

There's no "maybe" when it comes to Nazis. There were governments that tried appeasement and it didn't work out too well. 

The word "maybe" does not qualify the war against the Nazis; it qualifies the evilness of bombing by clarifying that sometimes war is necessary, for example ("as" is a synonym for "for example") in the fight against the Nazis. It seems to me that we agree on this.

The soldiers depicted as heroes in this series are not morally better humans, they are equally evil as German soldiers; they just perform evil acts for a better cause.

I take offense to that. My family served in the very unit that is depicted in this series, and were killed so you could enjoy freedom from those nazi's and fascists. Knock it off. And I will say that the actors in this series are (and look) way older than the kids that got sent off to defend others.

Yes, it was for a good cause. We all appreciate the sacrifice. I am also sure they were not at all like the series. I am criticising the series, not the cause.

Thank you. I appreciate and accept your apology.  I hope the tragic events depicted never happen again (and stop where they are now occurring.) 

foregoneconclusion

sflagel said: The soldiers depicted as heroes in this series are not morally better humans, they do the same evil acts as the German soldiers do; they just perform evil acts for a better cause.

I've watched the first three episodes and I wouldn't say they're being depicted as heroes. They're depicted as human beings trying to do the best they can to cope with their responsibilities in situations that are mostly horrific. There's an early episode where they refer to the meal they get before missions as "the last supper". They knew their life expectancy at that time of the war was fairly dismal. 

jamnap

williamh said:

I am watching the show but it's not my favorite.  I am a fan of the genre but I find the acting unconvincing.   Frankly, I am very surprised that this is Apple's most watched show.  But then I think Slow Horses and Tehran are simply awesome and the whole world doesn't seem to share that view.   I'm really looking forward to the next seasons of both. 

 

Yes, Tehran was superb, as was Slow Horses.  Masters is OK, but that is it….

StrangeDays

It’s fine, but not the same level of drama that BOB was. In MOTA they go up, shit goes wrong, they come back down. Repeat. It’s been a while but I recall Pacific being better drama as we followed the soldier thru grueling hell and witnessed it very close up and personal as they struggled and cracked. 

williamh

13485 said:

williamh said:

I am watching the show but it's not my favorite.  I am a fan of the genre but I find the acting unconvincing.   Frankly, I am very surprised that this is Apple's most watched show.  But then I think Slow Horses and Tehran are simply awesome and the whole world doesn't seem to share that view.   I'm really looking forward to the next seasons of both. 

 

I agree with your opinion on Slow Horses and Tehran. As far as the acting on Masters of the Air, remember that the actors are very young, just like the actual airmen, whom I can safely say were kids themselves. I wouldn't expect them to be Royal Shakespeare Company level yet. But it's not realistic to have established actors of older age in these roles, as other movies and shows over the years have done.

That's fair.  You make a good point that the actual airmen were very young.  Maybe it's the script that doesn't feel quite right and not so much the actors.  I don't really know.  It feels pretty formulaic.  I'm not much of a critic but I know what I like .  As for the actors, I don't need to see all the familiar names - so many of those Royal Shakespeareans aren't worth the money.  I'd sooner have two of these series done with these actors than one with the actors we've watched for years and who just go through the motions.

On that last point, I watched Killers of the Flower Moon (and read the book) and I can't not see De Niro as De Niro.  He's fine but when he makes certain expressions etc, how does one not see those gangsters he played?