What you need to know
- A new report claims that 62% of Apple TV+ viewers are still getting the service for free.
- A worrying 29% say they won't pay when their trial is up.
Apple TV+ recently saw its free trial extended again which is great news for customers and viewer numbers, but there's a problem – people just aren't going to pay once that trial comes to a close.
That's according to new numbers shared by MoffettNathan's Q4 2020 SVOD Tracker and Variety. In fact, 62% of Apple TV+ subscribers are still getting their content free of charge, while a massive 29% say that they have no intention of paying for Apple TV+ once their trial comes to an end.
While Apple doesn't say how many subscribers it has, it clearly knows that there's a problem here. Extending the free trial shows as much, with the presumption being that the company wants to get more content onto the service before people's deals end. But as Variety points out, it still has some way to go before it can compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney.
A big issue for Apple TV Plus is its very limited content lineup, compared with the thousands of titles available on other SVOD services. Currently, Apple TV Plus offers a total of 55 originals (11 drama series, six comedy series, 13 nonfiction series, 11 films and 14 family series and specials). Those include breakouts like "The Morning Show" and "Ted Lasso," but in terms of sheer tonnage, Apple TV Plus is far below the rest of the SVOD field.
Still, Apple has some big hitters working on Apple TV+ content right now with more presumably in the works that we don't know about yet.
Apple TV+ is a $4.99 per month subscription for those who aren't in on a trial at the moment. It's also available as part of the Apple One bundle, too.
100% exclusive content for the price of a cup of coffee.
With TV+, you can watch well-produced, big-budget TV shows from famed directors, and starring award-winning actors and actresses across all your Apple devices and with up to six members of your Family Sharing group.
