I’ve enjoyed quite a lot of shows on Apple TV+ but I don’t think it will succeed for two simple reasons; most people (who don’t read AppleInsider!) have no idea that it exists or what it is, and if they do then they have no idea how to watch it. I’ve recommended shows to lots of people who own Apple devices and they just can’t be bothered to work out how to watch it. It usually starts with “I don’t have an Apple TV” - this is caused by what seems to be a deliberate decision to cause confusion between the name of a hardware device and a service by giving them the same name but just adding a “+” symbol to the end. And then once you explain the TV app on their phone or iPad, it’s obvious nobody uses it (I don’t use it for anything except Apple TV+ either) and they have no reason to. Even when you go into the app, the Apple TV+ content isn’t obvious. It’s not a problem with the content or price, it’s the confusing way (to the average person) you access it.
I've enjoyed The Morning Show, The Servant, Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet, HOME, Dickinson, Trying, and Little America. I look forward to all these shows' second seasons.
I also loved the Beasties Story and hope Apple makes more music documentaries.
Its too bad the expectations are so high for Apple because I feel many of these shows would be considered breaking through shows if Netflix or Hulu released them. The quality is so high.
100% of Apples content is new and exclusive. If any other service provided this strategy it would be praised as a "must-have" and revolutionary. Especially at the quality of Apple. The problem remains, Apple is held at a different standard. I have a funny feeling that if See or Servant were on Netflix the same complainers would whine why Apple can't do shows like those.
I've enjoyed The Morning Show, The Servant, Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet, HOME, Dickinson, Trying, and Little America. I look forward to all these shows' second seasons.
I also loved the Beasties Story and hope Apple makes more music documentaries.
Its too bad the expectations are so high for Apple because I feel many of these shows would be considered breaking through shows if Netflix or Hulu released them. The quality is so high.
100% of Apples content is new and exclusive. If any other service provided this strategy it would be praised as a "must-have" and revolutionary. Especially at the quality of Apple. The problem remains, Apple is held at a different standard. I have a funny feeling that if See or Servant were on Netflix the same complainers would whine why Apple can't do shows like those.
Mindhunter, Stranger Things, Dear White People, The Irishman, Orange is the New Black, Marriage Story.... All are highly-regarded Netflix originals. In fact a lot of Netflix content is original, over 1500 shows and movies. https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/originals/ IMO other streaming companies very likely consider Netflix to be an aspirational service.
Plenty of promise? What is the justification for this?
Any objective observer could see before the launch that AppleTV+ was a complete miss. No one cares about 100% originals. Originals are meant as a supplement to a wider catalog that people are actually subscribing for. If you followed commentary on the unjustified non-stop articles published about AppleTV+ in the lead up to it, you saw how confused people were... thinking it actually did include non-original content.
And it is well known that Apple tried and failed for years to negotiate the rights to streaming subscriptions for their video store. They knew this is what people really wanted. But they failed. Instead, what we got was Apple TV Channels, with AppleTV+ being one of them. The sum total of which is: Far more expensive and far less content than what anyone was hoping for.
It is hard to say there is any "promise" here, given the history this has in getting to market.
Is it well known they tried to get streaming for the iTunes Store?
I've enjoyed The Morning Show, The Servant, Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet, HOME, Dickinson, Trying, and Little America. I look forward to all these shows' second seasons.
I also loved the Beasties Story and hope Apple makes more music documentaries.
Its too bad the expectations are so high for Apple because I feel many of these shows would be considered breaking through shows if Netflix or Hulu released them. The quality is so high.
100% of Apples content is new and exclusive. If any other service provided this strategy it would be praised as a "must-have" and revolutionary. Especially at the quality of Apple. The problem remains, Apple is held at a different standard. I have a funny feeling that if See or Servant were on Netflix the same complainers would whine why Apple can't do shows like those.
Mindhunter, Stranger Things, Dear White People, The Irishman, Orange is the New Black, Marriage Story.... All are highly-regarded Netflix originals. In fact a lot of Netflix content is original, over 1500 shows and movies. https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/originals/ IMO other streaming companies very likely consider Netflix to be an aspirational service.
Amazon Prime Video also has some really solid original programming. There are pluses and minuses to each service.
I think the best thing Apple did for Apple TV+ was giving away 1-yr subscriptions to new device owners. Any new network (Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime) has struggled as mentioned its first year or so (Prime even tags on other services so who knows). Giving a free year to such a large user base is giving Apple the time to see what works and what doesn't, what needs more time and what needs to be dropped now.
Look, my subscription is free, so where's the disappointment for me? I HAVE to watch Netflix, I HAVE to watch HBO...I'm paying for it! I can watch Apple TV+ when I want and what I want. SEE took 4 episodes before I got hooked, Beastie Boys was absolutely wonderful for nostalgia on top of music, and Home After Dark had nothing appealing to me until I watched it (...to the end and going forward). So Apple, at the very least, handled its subscription method brilliantly...you may not like the shows now or maybe ever, but you certainly can't fault free and from that Apple TV+ gets gold in feedback to be better.
I think the best thing Apple did for Apple TV+ was giving away 1-yr subscriptions to new device owners. ...you may not like the shows now or maybe ever, but you certainly can't fault free and from that Apple TV+ gets gold in feedback to be better.
They also did a very intensive survey with a few of us who had cancelled their subscription. I was one of them. Personally I fully expect the app itself to significantly improve this year as some of the questions directly acknowledged just the type of complaints about the app that have been voiced. I'd also expect the types of programming to changes somewhat over the next couple of years. Again based on the exit survey they do recognize their "taste in programming" may not be as widely shared as they may have assumed.
IMHO Apple TV+ will still be a work in progress 4 years from now. They're fortunate, and some competitors probably consider it anticompetitive, in that they can lose money, even a lot of it, without breaking a sweat. Their business doesn't depend on it. Outspend then outlast. It's just a blip in the financials. Not all companies have that luxury.
Comments
100% of Apples content is new and exclusive. If any other service provided this strategy it would be praised as a "must-have" and revolutionary. Especially at the quality of Apple. The problem remains, Apple is held at a different standard. I have a funny feeling that if See or Servant were on Netflix the same complainers would whine why Apple can't do shows like those.
https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/originals/
IMO other streaming companies very likely consider Netflix to be an aspirational service.
Look, my subscription is free, so where's the disappointment for me? I HAVE to watch Netflix, I HAVE to watch HBO...I'm paying for it! I can watch Apple TV+ when I want and what I want. SEE took 4 episodes before I got hooked, Beastie Boys was absolutely wonderful for nostalgia on top of music, and Home After Dark had nothing appealing to me until I watched it (...to the end and going forward). So Apple, at the very least, handled its subscription method brilliantly...you may not like the shows now or maybe ever, but you certainly can't fault free and from that Apple TV+ gets gold in feedback to be better.
IMHO Apple TV+ will still be a work in progress 4 years from now. They're fortunate, and some competitors probably consider it anticompetitive, in that they can lose money, even a lot of it, without breaking a sweat. Their business doesn't depend on it. Outspend then outlast. It's just a blip in the financials. Not all companies have that luxury.