Apple TV, formerly known as Apple TV+, is a subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. Its programming arm is Apple Studios. The service was announced during the Apple Special Event of March 2019. It can be accessed through Apple's website and through the Apple TV app. Apple TV has over 45 million paid memberships. The service was rebranded in late 2025, removing the + from "Apple TV".
Apple TV initially experienced poor growth and low subscriber numbers relative to other competing services during its first full year in 2020. Since then, the service has become the home to more critically acclaimed content: between September 2021 and March 2022, Apple TV netted a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series with Ted Lasso and the Academy Award for Best Picture with CODA, the first Best Picture win for a film distributed by a streaming service. Apple TV (along with the simultaneously announced a-la-carte premium-video subscription aggregation service Apple TV app) is part of a concerted effort by Apple to expand its service revenues.
Contents
History
Origins
Apple had long been rumored to have an interest in beginning a streaming television service, and in 2015 entered into negotiations with various television studios and programmers to aggregate their content for a live-television streaming bundle. Negotiations fell apart over differing views on how to value the content, lack of transparency on details, and the personality of Apple's chief negotiator, Eddy Cue.
In October 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that television is "of intense interest to me and other people here", and added that Apple has "started focusing on some original content", which he called "a great opportunity for us both from a creation point of view and an ownership point of view. So it's an area we're focused on."
Staffing
In June 2017, Apple began to take the first major steps to form its new television unit by hiring the co-presidents of Sony Pictures Television, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, to oversee all aspects of worldwide video programming. In August, Matt Cherniss was hired as Head of Domestic Creative Development, reporting directly to Van Amburg and Erlicht. For the rest of 2017, Apple continued to fill out its executive team for Apple TV+, with Kim Rozenfeld joining as Head of Current Programming and Unscripted, Jay Hunt joining as Creative Director for Europe, Morgan Wandell joining as Head of International Creative Development, Tara Sorensen joining as Head of Kids Programming, and Max Aronson, Ali Woodruff, Carina Walker, and Michelle Lee joining as development and creative executives.
Throughout 2019, Apple continued to build out its unscripted content team, with Molly Thompson hired as Head of Documentaries in April. In November, Rozenfeld stepped down as Head of Current Programming and Unscripted to focus on producing content again with a first-look content production deal with Apple under his Half Full Productions. Cherniss took over Rozenfeld's duties overseeing current scripted programming.
Development news reports
In May 2018, it was reported that Apple was expected to start a sister project to its original content service, and begin selling subscriptions to certain video services directly via its Apple TV app application on iOS and tvOS, rather than asking Apple device owners to subscribe to those services through applications individually downloaded from Apple's App Store.
In October 2018, it was reported that Apple would distribute its future original content through a still-in-development digital video service within its TV application that is pre-installed in all iOS and tvOS devices. The service was expected to feature both original content, free to owners of Apple devices, as well as subscription "channels" from legacy media companies such as HBO and Starz, which would allow customers to sign up for online-only services. Later that month, it was reported that Apple intended to roll out the service in the U.S. during the first half of 2019 and that it would expand its availability to around 100 countries in the months after its launch.
Launch
On March 25, 2019, Apple held a press event to announce Apple TV+. At the event, Apple showed a teaser of its upcoming original content and formally announced some of it, with actors and producers attached to the content appearing on stage, including Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg. The announced content included Helpsters, the first series from Sesame Workshop, the producer of Sesame Street, and Oprah Winfrey's first projects for Apple TV+, including a documentary under the working title Toxic Labor about workplace sexual harassment, a documentary series about mental health, and a revival of Oprah's Book Club as a standalone television series.
On September 10, 2019, Apple announced that Apple TV+ would launch on November 1 at $4.99 per month (with a 1-week free trial) for an account that can be shared with up to six family members. Apple also announced that it would be giving away a year of Apple TV+ to anyone who bought a new Apple TV, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch beginning that day. Student subscribers to the monthly Apple Music service at a discounted rate also had Apple TV+ bundled in at no additional cost for the time being.
The service was initially available on Apple devices, Roku and Amazon Fire TV streamers and select TVs. Apple gradually expanded the availability of the streaming service over time, with an Android app releasing in 2025. Upon its debut, Apple TV+ was available in about 100 countries, fewer than the reported target of 150. Several countries were excluded from service despite other Apple products being available.
Free subscription extensions
From the start of Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019, Apple offered a free one-year subscription to anyone buying certain of its hardware products (an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod Touch, or Mac). Apple initially extended the free year that was due to end on November 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, but then announced in mid-January 2021 that it would extend it a second time to July 31, 2021. In mid-June 2021, Apple added a note to its website advising customers that new users subscribing after June 30, 2021, would receive only three months of free subscription instead of a year.
Subscription pricing increases
On October 24, 2022, Apple announced it was to increase pricing of Apple TV+ (along with Apple Music and Apple One) subscriptions in many regions. The monthly plan increased $2 to $6.99, and the annual plan increased $20 to $69.
Rebranding
In October 2025, to coincide with the release of F1 on the service, Apple announced that Apple TV+ would be rebranded as simply "Apple TV". Variety noted that this marked the platform's first name change since its launch, while The Verge mused that "the change is likely to cause some confusion" due to the shared branding among the streaming service, set-top box, and software application. Explaining the name change, Apple executive Eddy Cue reasoned that the service had already been commonly known as "Apple TV" for some time, dismissing concerns of potential confusion. As part of the rebrand, Apple TV also changed their famous introduction "Piano" sound to a more modern version created by Finneas, and switched to a new "Rainbow" multicolored logo created through real glass and practical effects. The rebrand was widely visible on devices updated to Apple's OS 26.1 variant, as well as on the Apple TV app.
Programming
During the announcement of Apple TV+, Apple announced a number of prominent writers, directors, and stars who would be featured in the service. The signing of high-profile talent was intended to attract viewers to the service. As of March 2019, five of the upcoming series had completed production, with six more well into filming. On September 10, 2019, Apple announced that Apple TV+ would have eight original series (seven scripted and one unscripted) and one original documentary available at launch, with plans to launch new original content every month thereafter. Most series were expected to launch with three episodes, with a new episode released weekly thereafter, although Apple said that not all series would follow that model and that some series might instead launch all at once.
Early critical reaction to the bulk of the service's programming was mixed to poor, but commentators predicted that Apple would have time to grow into its new role as a content provider and to produce well-regarded content, especially as the free year of the service provided with many Apple product purchases enticed users to continue watching, and for some to eventually pay for a subscription, as new series are released.
COVID-19 pandemic effects
On March 13, 2020, Apple suspended all active filming on Apple TV+ shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all production on series was postponed for an indeterminate period. Apple's decision in mid-2020 to license large swaths of existing older content for the Apple TV+ service was viewed, in part, as buying time for its original content production during the pandemic by keeping users engaged and in a habit of visiting the service regularly, so that a viewer base would be in place by the time new Apple original content was released.
In addition, Apple TV+ endeavored to gain new high-profile content, taking advantage of the pandemic's disruption of theatrical film releases. Among these acquisitions were the 2020 feature film Greyhound starring Tom Hanks, which was purchased from Sony Pictures for $70 million. In July 2020, the service won a heated bidding war for Emancipation, a slavery-based action-thriller starring Will Smith and directed by Antoine Fuqua. Apple paid a record $105 million for the rights. Apple also reportedly considered a $350 to $400 million offer for the rights to stream the James Bond film No Time to Die, which was far short of the $650 to $800 million studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was willing to accept.
Celebrity partnerships, other original content and programming decisions
In October 2017, following reports of sexual abuse allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, Apple announced that it was severing ties with The Weinstein Company (TWC) and cancelling a planned biopic series about Elvis Presley.
In April 2018, Apple signed Kerry Ehrin to a multi-year deal to produce original content. Ehrin and Apple renewed the deal in May 2020. In June 2018, Apple signed the Writers Guild of America's minimum basic agreement and Oprah Winfrey to a multi-year content partnership. The same month, Apple announced that it had given a multi-series order to Sesame Workshop to produce various live-action and animated series as well as a single puppet-based series.
In September 2018, it was reported that Apple had decided to shelve Vital Signs, a six-episode biopic television series centering on the life of hip-hop producer and performer Dr. Dre and starring Ian McShane, Sam Rockwell, and Michael K. Williams, due to concerns about the show's content being too graphic, with moments cited including characters using cocaine, instances of gun violence, and an explicit orgy scene. Reports further indicated that Apple CEO Tim Cook was taking a hands-on approach to the company's Worldwide Video Unit, with programming decisions reportedly being aligned to Cook's personal taste, with a preference for family-friendly shows. Various programs in different stages of production apparently had their content altered, including the toning down of The Morning Show and the removal of crucifixes from a scene in the M. Night Shyamalan drama series. Additionally, Apple reportedly passed on a television series from comedian Whitney Cummings about the #MeToo movement because it was "too sensitive a topic". Cummings's series was ultimately put into development by Amazon Prime Video in October 2018.
In November 2018, Apple entered into a multi-year agreement with entertainment company A24 to produce a slate of original films in partnership with its Worldwide Video Unit. The same month, Apple signed a deal with DHX Media (now WildBrain) and its subsidiary Peanuts Worldwide to develop and produce original programs, including new series, specials, and shorts based on the Peanuts characters. One of the first productions created through the deal was an original short-form, STEM-related series featuring astronaut Snoopy. Also that month, Apple signed Justin Lin and his production company, Perfect Storm Entertainment, to a multi-year overall deal to produce original television content.
Professional sports
In March 2022, Apple announced that it would air Friday Night Baseball, a weekly doubleheader of Major League Baseball (MLB) games with live pre- and postgame shows on Apple TV+ in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom starting in the 2022 Major League Baseball season.
In June 2022, Major League Soccer (MLS) announced that Apple had acquired the global streaming rights to the league beginning in the 2023 season. All regular season and playoff matches are streamed on MLS Season Pass, a subscription offering separate from the Apple TV subscription. Apple TV subscribers can watch select games at no additional charge, and receive a discount on the MLS Season Pass. Beginning in 2026, MLS Season Pass will be discontinued and all MLS content will be included in Apple TV.
In October 2025, it was announced that Apple had acquired the U.S. rights to Formula One beginning in the 2026 season under a five-year agreement. All Grands Prix will stream exclusively for Apple TV subscribers, with practice sessions and selected events streaming for free. Apple acquired the exclusive United States media rights to Formula One for Apple TV in a five-year deal beginning in May 2026.
Acquisition of back catalog film and TV content
In mid-2020, Apple began discussions with film and television studios to license their previously released content as part of an effort to build a back catalog of non-original films and television shows for the streaming service. The shift was designed to help the service better compete against the large content libraries competitors like Netflix have. This represented a pivot for Apple, which had initially attempted to build the service entirely on original content, avoiding licensing fees to help keep monthly subscription fees low, and relying on its Apple TV Channels content partners to supply other content users wanted.
Analysts believed that the addition of older, highly re-watchable content like popular sitcoms and well-liked films would help retain the slowly growing subscriber base while Apple continues to develop original content. The shift was also an acknowledgement of poor growth, especially relative to competing services. The back catalog development was also seen as a move to attempt to persuade free trial users to transition into paid users as the first wave of one-year trials was scheduled to expire in November 2020.
On May 26, 2020, Apple announced its first acquisition of catalogue content would be the Fraggle Rock series. In addition to being the exclusive home of the 1983–1987 Jim Henson Company series, Apple would develop a new, full-length, rebooted Fraggle Rock series after the success of the Fraggle Rock: Rock On! short-form series on Apple TV+. On October 19, 2020, Apple announced the exclusive transmission rights of the various animated productions of the Peanuts franchise, withdrawing them from broadcast television after 55 years; as part of that agreement, Apple TV+ must make the major Peanuts specials available for free in short windows. After an outcry from fans of the specials, Apple sublicensed A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas to PBS for commercial-free airing. In 2021, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown also came to the PBS rotation. The PBS sublicensing arrangement ended before October 2022. In March 2024, Apple made 51 catalog films available under a "Great Movies special collection" banner.
Growth and impact
Apple has announced a number of partnerships, bundles, and initiatives to increase subscriber growth in the service. It has included Apple TV+ in several reduced-cost bundles designed to increase uptake and stickiness of subscriptions, including a bundle with Apple Music available for students, a bundle offering CBS All Access and Showtime for an additional $9.99 monthly for TV+ subscribers, and a bundling of the service as part of the Apple One subscription package. It has partnered with large cable television MSOs and telecommunications mobile network operators, such as Altice USA, the UK's EE, and Ireland's Eir TV, to offer those systems' customers Apple TV+ as part of a bundle, sometimes including an Apple TV 4K set-top box.
By February 2020, about 10 million people had signed up for Apple TV+. This included users who received a free one-year trial with the purchase of an Apple device, although it was estimated that less than 10% of Apple device owners eligible for the trial had activated it, perhaps because of Apple's failure to promote the service, Apple's desire to slow the uptake rate due to accounting concerns, or users' lack of interest in the service's perceived poor content options. About half of those 10 million users actively used the service. In late 2020, the continuing expansion of availability of the Apple TV app to a growing number of smart TV platforms and to newer lines of PlayStation and Xbox video game consoles, specifically the PS4 and PS5, and the Xbox One, Series S, and Series X, was seen as potentially boosting subscriber numbers for Apple TV+, including as part of Apple One subscription bundle purchases.
On December 16, 2020, Google announced it would add the Apple TV app to its Chromecast with Google TV device in early 2021 and to its Android TV platform by June 1, 2021; Google made Apple TV available on its Chromecast with Google TV, as well as on select Sony and TCL smart TVs running the Google TV interface, on February 18, 2021. On December 18, 2020, the British Urban Film Festival announced that it was to be the first UK film festival to host all of its official selections on the Apple TV app.
The service received several nominations for the 2021 Golden Globe Awards in both the television and film categories and was regarded as having "established an impressive track record for turning out consistently good—and sometimes great—programming for subscribers, despite offering a much, much smaller overall offering." Apple's series Ted Lasso won four Primetime Emmy Awards in 2021, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Jason Sudeikis), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Brett Goldstein) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Hannah Waddingham).
