Apple TV+ Needs to Do This to Boost Abysmal Viewership
By Movieguide® Contributor
Apple TV’s small viewership numbers may not be enough to keep it afloat.
“According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple TV+ sees just a small fraction of the numbers Netflix does,” MovieWeb reported Tuesday, “accounting for just 0.2% of TV viewership in the United States. Netflix’s audience is more in one day than Apple TV+ sees in a month, which certainly makes it hard to justify the exuberant spending on shows such as MASTERS OF THE AIR, which cost $250 million to make and was barely a blip on anyone’s radar. This has led to internal discussions at Apple which focus on the streamer looking at ways to cut spending.”
Apple TV+ has only 25 million subscribers while Netflix has 277 million. Per Tech Buying advice, Apple poured $20 billion into shows that only 0.2% of the population watches. Those aren’t good numbers. Netflix has billions more to pour into its content and services while getting much better viewership. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ is pushing its limits. There’s not much the smaller streaming service can do to level the playing field.
Apple TV+ “already committed to more seasons of MONARCH, THE MORNING SHOW, SILO, FOR ALL MANKIND, SURFACE, and HIJACK, to name a few; shows that cost a significant amount of money to produce, with the tech giant forking over a reported $50 million alone just for the cast of The Morning Show,” MovieWeb said.
Apple has cut down on the number of shows it puts out with continued seasons and has dived into creating some original content.
“It would also behoove Apple to focus a little more on what’s working before they decide to fork over a ton of cash for an experimental original title that might serve only a niche audience,” MovieWeb observed. “That’s something that filmmakers might not like to hear, but again, this is a business, and creativity and the corporate world have always been at odds with one another, so it should come as no surprise. Why take a chance on a period Western that’s working on one streamer, when you know for certain that sci-fi is the biggest genre on yours? Give your audience more of what they want, and they’ll love you forever.”
Flixed notes that Apple TV+ has some other unattractive issues. There’s too much buffering, and the price is high, given its limited library compared to that of competitors. The user interface also isn’t as simple and well-planned compared to competitors. Another big issue is that Android users don’t get an app. The only way for them to watch is through a browser.
In February, MASTERS OF THE AIR broke Apple TV+’s streaming record for the most-watched show debut. Movieguide® reported:
Variety reported that the series “launched with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple TV+ series ever has in its first season.”
“Viewership across all of Apple TV+ climbed by 65% worldwide when compared to the previous seven-day period,” the outlet continued. “The streamer also maintained double-digit growth across more than 100 territories.”
According to Apple, MASTERS OF THE AIR follows WWII airmen who “risk their lives with the 100th Bomb Group,” and become “a brotherhood forged by courage, loss, and triumph.”
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