Article updated on 01/25 with the latest content available and the latest news, including the announcement of a future Godzilla series.

Since its official launch in France on November 1, 2019, the Apple brand's streaming service has had the daunting task of carving out a place for itself among Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and the like in the crowded SVoD market.

As the weeks go by, its catalog fills with original series and Apple relies more on quality than quantity. As a result, its offer is less bloated than the competition.

To appeal to aficionados of its products, Apple is also counting on a one-year free subscription for recent purchasers of iPhones, iPads, iPods and other Macbooks. The others will have to pay 4.99 euros per month to subscribe to it, which is a more competitive price than that of its rivals.

As a reminder, TV+ is integrated into the Apple TV application and is available on all recent products from the Apple brand. In addition, the streaming service is also accessible on most web browsers, recent Samsung Smart TVs and soon via other devices such as the Amazon Fire TV. If you want to know a little more, read our article published on the day of the platform's release.

The latest news on Apple TV+

Netflix is ​​definitely not the only SVoD player to try to win the most coveted statuettes of American television.

During this 73rd edition of the Emmy Awards, which were held on September 19, Apple TV+ series received 35 nominations, including 20 for the acclaimed < b>Ted Lasso.

In the end, the series with Jason Sudeikis won 7 Emmy Awards, including Best Comedy Series. A real success for the new platform, which puts it a little more in the big leagues.

To seduce, Apple TV+ also intends to attract big names. Leonardo Dicaprio, Ridley Scott or Idriss Elba have already yielded to the sirens of the SVoD platform which does not intend to stop there. Latest to join the ship: Martin Scorsese. The platform will thus have the distribution rights of its next film, Killers of the Flower Moon, which is scheduled for release in 2022.

This is a fairly standard strategy among the various players in the sector. Bringing together talents also means getting people talking about themselves and raising expectations among fans of the seventh art and TV series. Inevitably, this also increases the chances of achieving audience ratings, especially if the productions are up to scratch.

Not surprising, then, to see Apple TV+ betting on references from the Hollywood microcosm. The partnership with Martin Scorsese is therefore probably not the last that the streaming service will sign

The goal? Start producing content in-house and no longer depend exclusively on other players in the sector to supply its catalog. The first original Apple TV+ series is called Masters of the Air, the sequel to the war fiction Band of Brothers. Inspired by Donald Miller's bestseller, it had been a real success for its producer HBO, with no less than 5 Emmy Awards at stake. Less than a month before the launch of Apple TV+, the brand is therefore clearly displaying its ambitions for the streaming service by starting to build an in-house catalog.

Richard Pepler, former boss of HBO, now works for Apple TV+, announces the New York Times. After more than 27 years at the helm of the famous cable channel, he is therefore leaving the ship and will now produce content for Apple via his company Eden Production. His unexpected departure is probably no stranger to the takeover of Time Warner, owner of HBO, by AT&T.

For paid antenna, it is also the end of an era. Richard Pepler had played a key role in its resounding success in recent years. Known for his expertise and his requirement, he had smelled the potential of cult series like Game Of Thrones, The Sopranos or Sex and the City.

A year 2021 full of ambition and quality

In two years of existence, Apple TV+ has done a lot to enrich its offer.

A process that the Cupertino company had already started well in 2021, acquiring the rights to the Cherry films with Tom Holland, Greyhound and Finch with Tom Hanks. Apple TV+ also plans to distribute the slavery film Emancipation starring Will Smith in 2022.

The company has also signed partnerships with Natalie Portman and director Ron Howard.

On the series side, in addition to the bittersweet and excellent Ted Lasso, the programs Servant, Foundation and The Morning Show have confirmed the fine quality and ambitions of the platform in horrific, science fiction and drama content.

But that's not all, and Apple does not intend to stop only at films and series.

The Cupertino company would also have contacted the PAC-12 conference, a group of twelve prestigious American universities, with the idea of ​​broadcasting their sports matches. Across the Atlantic, university sport is extremely popular and often brings together hundreds of thousands of fans, at the stadium or in front of the television.

A half-fig, half-grape start?

Even if the last episodes of Ted Lasso recorded audience records for the platform, there would be nothing to jump to the ceiling for Apple TV+, with not even 20 million subscribers.

Furthermore, the four flagship series, See, The Morning Show, Dickinson and For All Mankind, would not have stirred crowds in the United States at launch.

To arrive at this conclusion, the American media compared the (estimated) demand generated by Apple's programs for those of the blockbusters of the other SVoD giants. The data was then compiled into this graph:

Apple's programs lag behind the competition. (source: Variety)

First observation, the original Apple productions are far behind the blockbusters of its competitors Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and the others. See is the one that manages best to pull out of the game, but it remains behind series that have not necessarily had a resounding success across the Atlantic.

But note that these figures from Parrot Analytics are not based on real audience scores. As Apple has not yet communicated on it, these are estimates of the demand and success encountered by a series after its first day of broadcast. As such, they must therefore be taken for what they are, indicators of a dynamic, and not official data on which to build a solid analysis.

Today, disappointing first results would not be dramatic for Apple TV +. If the content put online in the near future is up to par, the affordable price of 4.99 euros per month and the loyalty of the Apple brand's customers could well help. Apple will in particular have to encourage users of its devices to renew their subscriptions after the free year.

The platform plans to have more than 36 million paid subscribers by 2026, which would still put it far behind its competitors.

The price of Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has been available since November 1, 2019 in France and in a hundred other countries at the price of 4, €99 per month with a special offer for new iPhone buyers.

Indeed, a one-year subscription to the platform will be offered for the purchase of a device from the Californian brand, whether it is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV or iPod Touch , new or refurbished and even if purchased outside the Apple Store. An interesting strategy from the brand, which we decipher in this article if you are interested.

Other customers who subscribe to the classic subscription will also have a free 7-day trial period before paying. As expected, Apple's Family Sharing feature will be compatible, allowing up to 5 members of the same household to access Apple TV+ from a single account.

Apple TV+ will be fully integrated into the new Apple TV app, alongside other services like Amazon Prime Video or Hulu and free and paid channels (HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME, CBS All Access , EPIX, Smithsonian Channel, Tastemade or Noggin). It is still unclear, however, if bundles including subscriptions to other Apple services such as Apple Music or to channels such as HBO will be offered.

Remember that the price of the competing platform Disney+ will be lower than that of Netflix, for a catalog however substantial, and that other players such as Amazon Prime Video are progressing rapidly. The market is therefore becoming quite competitive and the firm at the apple could find it difficult to impose itself. But we should not underestimate Apple, which has finally managed to significantly nibble the cake of music streaming, yet in the hands of Spotify. We are therefore perhaps not at the end of our surprises.

What content in the catalog?

This is where the shoe pinches: the Apple TV+ catalog has barely 100 films and series. But to differentiate itself, Apple wants to play the card of quality instead of quantity, and focus its catalog on original content. These represent 2/3 of its current supply.

Here is anon-exhaustive list of content available on Apple TV+:

Series

Movies

What special features does Apple TV+ have?

There again, nothing very surprising. It is also the model favored by all its rivals, or almost. NBCUNiversal's Peacock is the exception: the future platform has opted for financing through advertising, in addition to subscription. Surprising, especially when we know the lack of patience of users with advertising, especially on the Web. By banning advertising from its streaming service, Apple is therefore making a logical strategic choice, without thinking outside the box.

If not decisive, the details to come give a clearer idea of ​​​​Apple's offer with its streaming platform. This feature is popular with users who want to watch content on the move, when they do not necessarily have access to a stable Internet connection. So it makes perfect sense to see Apple offering it with its service, especially when, again, its rivals are offering the same thing.

Apple is still in line with the competition and will therefore offer the best in sound and image to its future subscribers. Netflix does it, Prime Video does it, Disney+ will do it... it's the norm for these platforms to offer an augmented experience with Dolby Atmos and 4K HDR technologies on certain flagship content. The result is more realistic and immersive sound and an ever more beautiful image. This is good news for those who like to optimize their audiovisual experience.

Which devices will be compatible?

All of the brand's devices will obviously be compatible. Since the streaming service will be offered inside the new Apple TV app, it will also be available on competing devices, including Samsung's Bixby-powered TVs, Amazon's Fire TV devices, LG's web-based TVs OS and those of other brands under Android TV. However, some features or content may be restricted to Apple device owners.

Protection of privacy

The only concrete element concerns the respect and protection of privacy. Apple has indicated that advertisers won't be able to track your browsing across platforms, and that's a great thing. A way to differentiate themselves from Google or Facebook which are still stuck in business.

Our opinion on Apple TV+

Several points to emphasize from the outset. It's no surprise, but the catalog of Apple TV + is relatively poor at the moment.

The brand relies on the exclusivity of its programs and the prestige of its castings to seduce, and Apple wants to bet on quality rather than quantity. It's an interesting approach, far from the positioning of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and soon Disney+. Apple TV + is therefore not in direct competition with other SVoD players and their plethora of offers.

However, the series offered have potential. Ted Lasso, Foundation, See and The Morning Show, for example, which have the real power to hook the viewer. And the talent gallery is extremely reassuring: Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, J.J. Adams, Steve Carell, Damien Chazelle, Steven Spielberg... all these personalities have agreed to work with Apple on content for its SVoD platform. They undoubtedly bring a certain cachet to the original creations of Apple TV +.

On the other hand, Apple TV + will not be the first option for compulsive binge-watchers. If you want a lot of choice and a wide variety of programs (films, series, documentaries, cartoons, etc.), you will have difficulty finding what you are looking for on the platform, which will then be more of a service to be taken in addition to another.

At 4.99 euros per month, there is no reason that Apple TV + should not appeal to the curious, especially lovers of the brand's ecosystem. In any case, it does everything to attract them with its offer of a one year free subscription.

Let's not forget either that SVoD is just a drop in an ocean of other more important activities for the Cupertino company. Even if success is not at the rendezvous, she will recover without too many problems.

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