Apple TV+ is Broken — Here’s How to Fix It
Opinion
There’s a fantastic streaming service that launched in 2019 and has been steadily churning out critical favorites ever since but hasn’t drawn the same audience attention as the others. In fact, you might have never even used it or seen some of its most expensive blockbuster hopefuls in theaters, and we think we know why (and how to fix it).
Apple TV+ has produced exclusive movies from Academy Award winners like Tom Hanks, George Clooney, and Matt Damon. It even won the streaming race for Best Picture at the Oscars just a few years ago with CODA. The streamer also has a strong lineup of original TV shows, including the highly decorated feel-good comedy Ted Lasso, a Steven Spielberg-produced WWII epic, a heartwarming comedy with Harrison Ford, and a variety of dramas, including Emmys darling The Morning Show.
Despite a star-studded roster and some truly quality programming, though, there’s a strong chance you’ve never seen any of these films or TV shows on this streamer because it has remained well under the radar. Despite pouring millions of dollars into its streaming service, only two of Apple TV+’s series, Masters of the Air and Presumed Innocent, have ever even charted on Nielsen. Apple TV+ not only has lower subscription numbers than most of its contemporaries and virtually no presence on the ratings charts, it also has an identity problem.
Still, it’s loaded with potential, and there are several steps Apple could take to make its streamer a true rival to the likes of Disney+ and Netflix. Here’s how the company can fix Apple TV+.
1. Acquire a new catalog.
Apple TV+ has a small but mighty roster of top-line shows, but there’s no library to keep viewers on the service once they’ve binged their favorite series. To keep people from swapping apps after plowing through the latest season of Severance, they need something else to watch. Apple has deep pockets so buying an established studio and adding that studio’s content to its library is a good way to build a deep catalog quickly.
Lionsgate, which has been looking for a buyer for a while, would make a ton of sense. On the film front, Lionsgate owns some proven franchises including The Hunger Games, John Wick, Saw, and Twilight. The company also owns STARZ, home to TV series like Outlander and Spartacus. Buying Lionsgate would instantly boost Apple TV+’s library and weaken Peacock, who currently has a deal with the studio.
If Tim Cook really wanted to swing for the fences, though, he’d buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Its CEO, David Zaslav, has been openly looking to either sell the company or find someone to partner with. An Apple/WBD combo would bring an immense HBO library that includes hit shows like The Sopranos, The White Lotus, The Wire, and The Last of Us while bringing major film franchises like Batman, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings into the fold. (It’d also likely mean a total absorption of Max, which is the proprietary streamer of WBD.)
2. Be choosey on the theatrical front.
Despite having the distinction of being the first streaming service to win an Academy Award with CODA in 2022, Apple has struggled theatrically. It has paid exorbitant amounts of money and hasn’t gotten much in return (and recently reduced its big-picture budget as a result).
Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, Argylle, and Fly Me to the Moon may have had marquee stars and/or proven directors and plenty of production money to work with, but they were all box office disappointments. When Apple pulled Wolfs, a film starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney, from its planned fall 2024 theatrical release, it was a clear signal the company had no confidence in its film release strategy.
Despite setbacks in the last two years, Apple could quickly reverse its fortunes by abandoning its high-dollar approach and start using its own Oscar-winning film as an inspiration. CODA, with a budget of only $10 million, is just the type of prestige film the streaming service should be trying to make. It’s also an inexpensive way to get into theaters, which everyone in Hollywood hopes for with a film studio (making it appealing to stars and directors) while staying relevant to mainstream filmgoers. If Apple TV+ becomes known as the place to find fine new awards season fare, it would be a go-to destination for cinefiles.
CODA (Credit: Apple TV+)
3. Find a new marketing head.
Ricky Strauss, who was hired away from Disney+, lasted less than a year and a half as the marketing head for Apple TV+. He left the company in May 2024 and stunningly has never been replaced.
Overall, Apple’s marketing teams have expertise in branding, marketing, and selling their products, like iPhones, iPads, AirPods, and Apple Watches. There is no end to Apple’s product lines and no end to their skill at telling you all about them. Heck, Apple’s 1984 Macintosh commercial directed by Ridley Scott is one of the most famous in advertising history.
However, if you asked someone on the street to name five Apple TV+ shows, they’d likely mention Ted Lasso and maybe The Morning Show and wouldn’t get much further. A marketing chief could change this. Apple needs to find the right person to not only give Apple TV+ an identity but also make viewers aware of its incredible content. Shrinking is phenomenal. Bad Monkey is a great mix of crime drama and comedy. Presumed Innocent is riveting. Get the word out with some catchy ads or a clever slogan so people know what they’re missing.
4. Sign a sports deal that matters.
Apple TV+ is the home to Friday Night Baseball and Major League Soccer. That’s not enough. Sports deals draw in viewers and reduce churn. This is why Netflix signed a 10-year deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for the broadcast rights to Monday Night Raw for $5 billion. Netflix has another sports deal with the NFL, paying them $150 million a year for the next three years to air games on Christmas Day. Meanwhile, Amazon has an 11-year, $1.8 billion a year deal to get the third-best NBA broadcasting deal available, after NBC and Disney took their bites. Sports rights are big business.
Apple TV+ needs an eye-catching sports partner. Formula 1 is growing in popularity, and ESPN’s broadcast rights expire in 2025. With the Apple-produced Brad Pitt film, F1, coming out this year, Formula 1 would seem to be a perfect fit. ESPN’s deal with the UFC also expires in 2025, which should intrigue the folks in Cupertino, California. But if Apple really wants to be a player in sports, Tim Cook will have his checkbook ready for some football. The NFL can opt out of its rights with all of its media partners, except Disney, after the 2028-2029 season. Having professional football on Apple TV+, even in a small capacity like Netflix has now, would be a massive win.
5. Make friends with Netflix.
The biggest name in streaming has a bustling slate of originals but still loves to shell out beaucoups to acquire content owned by others. Netflix has licensing deals with multiple studios, which is why you see TV shows like Lost (ABC), Sex and the City (HBO), Breaking Bad (AMC), The Good Place (NBC), and Interview With the Vampire (AMC) all on the same streamer. Besides being a way for a studio to make some cash from its library, it’s also a good way to bring fresh eyes to an ongoing show; Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Schitt’s Creek all enjoyed viewership boosts from their earlier seasons hitting the streamer that paid off during their runs. It can also help revitalize an already-ended series; Suits is perhaps the best example of the latter, as it had disappeared from everyone’s radar until it landed on Netflix, found a new audience, and is now being given a spinoff.
Apple TV+ could use Netflix to its advantage by placing the first or second season of some of its best original shows there, letting an audience find it, and then having them head to Apple to continue watching. Cash from Netflix could help pay for the aforementioned sports deal, educate viewers on the quality and content of Apple TV+ programming, and increase subscribers. It would be a win for both Netflix and Apple TV+.
Conversation29 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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May I add - make an Android app! This is the only major streaming service that has no apps for Android devices (except Android TV).
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That's a great point!
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As a Samsung phone user I always tell myself why would I pay for a streaming service that doesn't care enough to make an Android app for non iPhone users like me
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There is an Android app, but it's not available through the Play Store. I stumbled upon it online somewhere, but don't know the exact URL. It was probably on Apple's website.
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This article totally disregarded that Apple TV has the best Sci Fi lineup of all streaming devices except maybe the Expanse. I absolutely do not like Apple Products, but Apple TV is the first time in my life I have given them money and happily did it. Silo season 2 just ended and Severance Season 2 just started. The their is Foundation, Invasion, Dark Matter, Constellation and lastly, the best of them all. For All Mankind. A handful of other series also. No other streamer can offer anything near that and this is a very short amount of time.
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It also works just fine on my android phone and my roku TV.
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Absolutely correct. I watch Apple TV for the best Sci-fi. Foundation Silo Dark Matter plus several great comedy dramas bad monkey was very good,
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You're right, they have a great sci-fi lineup. But that's kind of the point of the article. It has a great lineup of shows but a tiny audience.
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Apple TV has the best content and TV shows in my eyes. This article is an example of how it needs to establish itself more to be a bigger player. I would much rather watch an Apple TV show over Netflix. The quality is just better.
It's just a shame it's not as popular as it should be.
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“Apple TV+ is broken”? Such an arrogant attitude… it might be “broken” for you, but it’s fine for me.
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Slow Horses is one of the best thing that ever happened since sliced bread.
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This reads much more like a Terry Terrones problem than an Apple TV+ problem
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I liked apple tv. It has the best intro.
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Hey author? Uh yeah, every single "reason" you stated why Apple TV+ needs to do better are the exact same steps that Netflix took.
Which lead to higher prices, a worse catalog, and a wavering userbase.
There's nothing wrong with changing $6 a month for absolutely stellar content that people watch on occasion. $6 is for watching on occasion...$25 a month and they'll demand more attention from their users and become everything everyone dislikes about Netflix.
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AppleTV+ costs $10 a month. And Netflix didn't do #1, #2 or #5.
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Apple TV has the best content of any major streamer, they just aren't user friendly, and don't seem to care about a bigger audience. Too much exclusivity with Apple products. Too expensive. Not enough mainstream appeal. Definitely not easy for old people to join. I think it's because there's no reason to provide something for everyone, when regardless of what you do, you still got cult followers, and your company is worth trillions.
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I was offered a free membership to Apple TV. Went through the entire annoying sign up process only to be told that I had to open the registration email on an Apple device. I couldn't register Windows or an Android even though I only ever plan to use it on my TV. I've always hated Apple and this really confirms that. Being forced to own an Apple device to use their subscription is ridiculous.
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Our biggest problem with Apple TV is that they hate anybody who has Android devices. It was unbelievable what I had to go through to get a streaming subscription. Unfortunately it was impossible to add my husband as a second user. This makes Apple TV very unfriendly, and we will probably drop it as soon as we have streamed the best shows. Another smaller problem is that Apple TV has a very clumsy user interface, compared to their competitors.
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The problem with it is there is no way to see what is on your list after it has been watched. If you search for it by name, it will say it is added to your list, but there is no way to see your entire list. Big problem if you fall asleep and it continuously plays what's on your list and you can't remember what was on it.
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Apple TV content is bleek, honestly... And don't get me started on "The Morning Show"...
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AppleTV+ is irrelevant to overall Apple ecosystem. They may very well walk away from the entire project if they need to free up resources to invest in AI.
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Apple doesn't have the potential market it thinks it has. To access Apple+.TV you need to already have an Apple device or account. If you and want to sign up for Apple +TV, you need to go through a bunch of hoops which takes literally weeks to sign up for Apple Tunes or something and then you can create an account for Apple+TV. Apple is discouraging its potential audience by the "high barriers to entry." Maybe it's fine with low ratings.
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what are you talking about? I am an Android user and use Chromecast and Google TV and Fire TV stick on all my TVs. I easily signed up for and now use Apple TV+.
It is weird that they have perfectly decent Chromecast/Google TV/Fire TV apps, but not a regular Android app for phones. But it's fine, if I'm on my phone I just pull up the Apple TV+ website on my phone browser.
Your comment is hilarious but also unfortunate misinformation.
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It works fine on my Firestick, but it had issues loading in the beginning. I straight up couldn't access it from my laptop on their website for close to two months. I cancelled my subscription because of it. It seems to work now so I'll probably re-up to binge Severance and whatever else I can squeeze in, but I do have issues with it running properly. Granted, my tech isn't cutting edge, but I have zero issues with any other streaming services, except some buffering with Disney on my Firestick. Also getting logged in the first time was a mess because I didn't have an Apple ID. That process was not clearly explained at all. For people with no computer skills, it would probably have been enough them to give up. So, it's awesome yours works so well, but that isn't every Android users experience.
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That’s almost true. There are cases where you need an AppleTV to get all the benefits of your purchases. For example, there is an extended cut of each of the first two Harry Potter movies. I bought those on Apple TV. As long as I watch them on my Apple TV box, I get access to those extended cuts. If I try to watch those extended cuts with the android or Roku app, I can’t access those sorts of features. Another example is Roger Ebert’s narration of Casablanca. As long as I watch it on Apple TV, I can access that feature. I can’t if I watch my copy of Casablanca on android or Roku.
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Clooney, Damon, Hanks? Maybe it's simply too "left." People are tired of that and virtue signaling. Throw in some balance, some goodness, some entertainment, some clean laughter and people will tune in.
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LOL yes let's cater to racist and bigots again!
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Hard to believe there are people this dumb
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There are people who are this dumb. The whole world saw Americans re-elect the criminals narcissists and insurrectionists who will never MAGA America.
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