Apple Extends Monthly Credit Deposits to Apple TV+ Subscribers Through June

[calstanford]

ATV+ is a money pit for Apple. Humongous acquisition cost, zero to very few paying subscribers for let's be honest... it'll be years. Lackluster shows because they don't dare to be edgy. Extremely US patriotic focused (Apple is a worldwide company these days).

 

[Alan Wynn]

Of course, everyone's taste is different. If you don't like the shows on Netflix, that's fine.

Lots of great shows on Netflix (all too many cancelled after 2 seasons, since most shows add subscribers for only their first two seasons and do not bleed them after they are cancelled).

The issue I have is that people keep trying to imply there is nothing good on Netflix ("it's all crap") like that is a fact. I wonder how much they have really watched, versus just wanting to crap on a competitor to Apple.

That is the issue I have with people with people’s comments on TV+: “It all sux” and ”It is all politically correct, PG, SJW crap.” Netflix has gotten much more expensive for those who do not get it from T-Mobile. They have three tiers of shows, top quality at high cost (e.g. House of Cards), medium quality at medium cost and crap - filler of low quality with low cost.

The biggest concern I have, is that they seem to have increased the percentage of the third group and decreased the percentage of the first two.

You can not deny that Netflix has had way more "hits" in the past year than Apple TV+ has had.

I would hope so. They made way more series than TV+ did.

Just in the last 3 months. Queen's Gambit,

Heard great things, want to watch it.

The Crown, Cobra Kai,

Neither of these two is new (in fact Cobra Kai’s first two seasons were on YouTube Red). It does not denigrate them, but they are just continuing shows, not new hits.

and Bridgerton

Also looks interesting - I expect to watch it at some point.

have all had significant pubic attention and received very high praise from both critics and the public.

So two new hits and two continuing hits.

On AppleTV, I would suggest the only two shows that have made any sort of dent in the public conscious have been The Morning Show and Ted Lasso. You could probably also throw Greyhound in there, even if it is a movie. While there are definitely other good shows on AppleTV+, they don't get much coverage. Personally, I really like Dickerson and find it fun and entertaining.

I agree on those two, and probably Greyhound (I am not as sure it has the same recognition). I think Tehran and Wolf Walkers have also done pretty well. However, even two breakout hits in its first year is pretty solid.

As you mentioned, Netflix also has a great back catalog, I have found a number of shows that I missed on regular TV, including The Good Place, Wynonna Earp, and The Imposters. Without Netflix, I would have never found these shows.

I found Wynonna Earp, on SyFy and I did enjoy it. They have a large catalog, and for the price, they better. They are not TV+’s competition. I would expect that almost everyone will have Netflix (even if they do not keep it all year around). TV+ is competing with the secondary services and is priced accordingly. What Apple’s long term plans for the service are is still unclear, but until they are able to produce/buy more content, they will be a secondary option for people.

 

[Maconplasma]

I haven’t received yet, and my free year expires in February. I will watch a few documentaries and then cancel my subscription, as I’m not interested in their fiction.

Does anyone know about a good streaming service with documentaries? Thank you.

Did you check your account. Apple has extended it for everyone through July.

 

[Maconplasma]

I think ATV+ is destined to remain a niche service. In typical Apple fashion ........

As is typical MR fashion.....to condemn Apple's product before giving it a chance saying it will fail or remain niche. And people said the iPod would fail, the iPad would fail, the iPhone would fail, the Apple Watch would fail. At this point I'd say Apple knows what they are doing and the MR crowd against Apple doesn't have a clue.

 

[Maconplasma]

You can not deny that Netflix has had way more "hits" in the past year than Apple TV+ has had. Just in the last 3 months.

And Netflix has been in the movie streaming business many years longer than AppleTV Plus. You seem to think that Apple can perform miracles getting hit shows and movies in the year AppleTV Plus has been out. SMH. Did you forget that Netflix had NOTHING worth watching for years and often their movies were has-beens that had been out on DVD for over 2 years before they made it to Netflix?

 

[ipponrg]

As you mentioned, Netflix also has a great back catalog, I have found a number of shows that I missed on regular TV, including The Good Place, Wynonna Earp, and The Imposters. Without Netflix, I would have never found these shows.

Add to this Schitt’s Creek, Dexter (removed now from the service), and Kim’s Convenience.

And Netflix has been in the movie streaming business many years longer than AppleTV Plus. You seem to think that Apple can perform miracles getting hit shows and movies in the year AppleTV Plus has been out. SMH. Did you forget that Netflix had NOTHING worth watching for years and often their movies were has-beens that had been out on DVD for over 2 years before they made it to Netflix?

Don’t forget that people here have been saying Apple can buy their way into this industry with their deep cash flow. The results so far have been underwhelming.

 

[lazyrighteye]

I got it and I am a Apple One subscriber.

Same. Email landed ~10 pm Fri.

 

[cmaier]

That's kind of surprising.
Sure I watch baking and agree that almost all "Netflix originals" are horrible, it's still the streaming service we watch the most of.
Hulu has almost no movies. D+ is great for some stuff but, by design, not well rounded. HBO Max has almost no casual TV. So Netflix becomes the default app to scroll through every evening.

Truly though, I think Netflix is really messed up and I wish they realized how terrible the orginization of content is and how impossible it is to find something for casual viewing.

For tv shows I watch hulu, and for movies i have HBO max, and via Apple TV Channels I have showtime, AMC+, cinemax, etc.

Lots of great shows on Netflix (all too many cancelled after 2 seasons, since most shows add subscribers for only their first two seasons and do not bleed them after they are cancelled).

That is the issue I have with people with people’s comments on TV+: “It all sux” and ”It is all politically correct, PG, SJW crap.” Netflix has gotten much more expensive for those who do not get it from T-Mobile. They have three tiers of shows, top quality at high cost (e.g. House of Cards), medium quality at medium cost and crap - filler of low quality with low cost.

The biggest concern I have, is that they seem to have increased the percentage of the third group and decreased the percentage of the first two.

I would hope so. They made way more series than TV+ did.

Heard great things, want to watch it.

Neither of these two is new (in fact Cobra Kai’s first two seasons were on YouTube Red). It does not denigrate them, but they are just continuing shows, not new hits.

Also looks interesting - I expect to watch it at some point.

So two new hits and two continuing hits.

I agree on those two, and probably Greyhound (I am not as sure it has the same recognition). I think Tehran and Wolf Walkers have also done pretty well. However, even two breakout hits in its first year is pretty solid.

I found Wynonna Earp, on SyFy and I did enjoy it. They have a large catalog, and for the price, they better. They are not TV+’s competition. I would expect that almost everyone will have Netflix (even if they do not keep it all year around). TV+ is competing with the secondary services and is priced accordingly. What Apple’s long term plans for the service are is still unclear, but until they are able to produce/buy more content, they will be a secondary option for people.

My official ratings (because everyone cares):

Central Park - B-
Greyhound - B+
See - A-
Mythic Quest - A
Ted Lasso - A+
Servant - B
Tehran - A
The Morning Show - A-
For All Mankind - A-

Shows I tried but gave up on:

Truth Be Told
Trying
Amazing Stories

Show that had better be the most awesome show ever:

Foundation

 

[bommai]

Possibly or maybe it’s just not doing well. Everything I watched was bad IMO.

Have you tried tiny world, lasso, See, wolf walkers, Tehran. I loved all of them.

 

[Td1970]

Have you tried tiny world, lasso, See, wolf walkers, Tehran. I loved all of them.

Tried Ted lasso. Hated it. Morning show wasn’t for me.

I’m a sports or cooking show guy

 

[Abazigal]

ATV+ is a money pit for Apple. Humongous acquisition cost, zero to very few paying subscribers for let's be honest... it'll be years. Lackluster shows because they don't dare to be edgy. Extremely US patriotic focused (Apple is a worldwide company these days).

I find that a lot of Apple's services are US-centric or US-only. Apple news and Apple Card, for instance. I guess it makes sense that since the US is still Apple's biggest market, Apple will naturally devote more resources into cementing their home-turf advantage.

 

[Dandoodle]

Is this for uk subscribers too?

 

[BigDO]

Apple Music and Apple TV are so far behind the competition, I don't use them even when they are free.

 

[Alan Wynn]

it'll be years.

Yup, it will be years, but what is great about building a library of one’s own content is that as one adds to it, it continues to grow. Post pandemic, I expect a big jump in their library, and after a few years they will have a very nice back catalog.

Lackluster shows because they don't dare to be edgy.

Which shows have you watched? I would say that See is pretty edgy, as is Dickinson.

Extremely US patriotic focused (Apple is a worldwide company these days).

Really? Of the over 40 shows and movies, which ones do you think are “Extremely US patriotic focused”? Tehran the show about an Israeli spy in Iran? Wolf Walkers the family story about girls in Ireland? See the post apocalyptic Science Fiction story?

It is completely fine for people to not like TV+’s content, but when people make statements like these, they are usually just repeating things they have heard, usually from before the service even launched.

 

[ArPe]

Apple Music and Apple TV are so far behind the competition, I don't use them even when they are free.

Apple Music/iTunes is the leading music store.

Apple TV is the newest subscription streaming service, but their movie store is the second biggest next to Amazon Prime. By pressing one switch Apple could add hundreds of movies to the subscription that would be a rotating selection changing every month.

 

[Alan Wynn]

For tv shows I watch hulu, and for movies i have HBO max, and via Apple TV Channels I have showtime, AMC+, cinemax, etc.

For movies, I mostly watch stuff from my own collection (my BF and I have about 1,000 films on iTunes), plus Blu-Ray and DVD discs. We also have HBO Max, Showtime, AMC, Criterion and CBS All Access.

Show that had better be the most awesome show ever:

Foundation

Completely agree. I hope this is as amazing as the trailer looks. I hope they eventually do all the books in the Robots and Empire universe.

 

[hagar]

Everyone saying this means Apple TV is failing are possibly missing the point.

Apple may very well be doing this because large parts of the world are in lockdown and many people are having to stay at home. This could be a way of them helping people cope, by giving them something. Each time they have set a date when it ends, it has always roughly been around when each lockdown has been scheduled to end. This time it takes us into summer when a large portion if not all of the 1st world’s population will be vaccinated.

This does not make any sense. The vision, planning and execution of ATV+ has been many years in the works. It’s not something they just came up with.

The big issue they’re facing is that season 2 of their big hit shows is delayed because of covid, therefore they need to extend the free period otherwise not enough people will be compelled to subscribe.

 

[DEXTERITY]

Which shows did you try?

Ted Lasso is probably the best show released in 2020. See and For All Mankind were both great. I also enjoyed The Morning Show. I have not yet watched, but am very much looking forward to: Defending Jacob, Truth Be Told, Servant, Mythic Quest, Greyhound, Fireball, and The Long Way Up.

Also looking forward to Foundation.

Defending jacob and tehran are great / people saying there is nothing good are full of it. Banker and greyhound were good also.

 

[orbital~debris]

Not a negative comment but is there anything on ATV+ worth watching? I've been hearing a lot of good things about Tehran but not much else.

That and I don't know how to find anything. It just seems way too confusing

I’ve enjoyed every show I’ve watched on it, (and that includes children’s content Helpsters and Stillwater).

I would suggest trying Mythic Quest, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Servant, Trying and For All Mankind to start with.

I used to make use of the parallelogram-shaped horizontally sliding graphic on the ‘Watch Now’ section of Apple TV to find the Apple TV+ content. But now Apple have added a ‘Apple TV+‘ / ‘Apple TV+ Originals’ tab it’s even easier to find this premium content.

EDIT: forgot Dickinson! How could I, it’s fantastic! And while I’m remembering things, Little Voice is lovely so far (only 3 epsisodes in).

 

[EugW]

I didn’t make it past the first episode of Dickinson, even though I really like Hailee Steinfeld.

I didn’t make it past the second episode of For All Mankind.

I watched all of See but in all honesty I thought it was pretty mediocre.

I’ll give Tehran a shot though.

 

[Populus]

Did you check your account. Apple has extended it for everyone through July.

Yes, it still ends by the end of February.

 

[Abazigal]

I haven’t received yet, and my free year expires in February. I will watch a few documentaries and then cancel my subscription, as I’m not interested in their fiction.

Does anyone know about a good streaming service with documentaries? Thank you.

You could try Curiosity. I think there are you tubers like Renee Ritchie and Polymatter who offer a promotion for it from time to time (a combined curiosity + nebula package at a significant discount).

 

[Td1970]

Yup, it will be years, but what is great about building a library of one’s own content is that as one adds to it, it continues to grow. Post pandemic, I expect a big jump in their library, and after a few years they will have a very nice back catalog.

Which shows have you watched? I would say that See is pretty edgy, as is Dickinson.

Really? Of the over 40 shows and movies, which ones do you think are “Extremely US patriotic focused”? Tehran the show about an Israeli spy in Iran? Wolf Walkers the family story about girls in Ireland? See the post apocalyptic Science Fiction story?

It is completely fine for people to not like TV+’s content, but when people make statements like these, they are usually just repeating things they have heard, usually from before the service even launched.

Does it make a difference? If someone doesn’t enjoy the tv+ offering

I didn’t make it past the first episode of Dickinson, even though I really like Hailee Steinfeld.

I didn’t make it past the second episode of For All Mankind.

I watched all of See but in all honesty I thought it was pretty mediocre.

I’ll give Tehran a shot though.

ssshhh. Don’t let people here see your opinion. They take it personally. You know the Apple is perfect crew.

 

[JBGoode]

Does it make a difference? If someone doesn’t enjoy the tv+ offering

ssshhh. Don’t let people here see your opinion. They take it personally. You know the Apple is perfect crew.

His opinion is fine because he actually watched or attempted to watch the shows he is commenting on. What we don't like are people who haven't watched a damned thing on ATV+ but have somehow miraculously formed a very vocal opinion about the content based on hearsay and in some cases false information about the programming. If one hasn't sampled the offerings, one has no business offering a half baked opinion on them (in my humble opinion of course).

 

[Td1970]

His opinion is fine because he actually watched or attempted to watch the shows he is commenting on. What we don't like are people who haven't watched a damned thing on ATV+ but have somehow miraculously formed a very vocal opinion about the content based on hearsay and in some cases false information about the programming. If one hasn't sampled the offerings, one has no business offering a half baked opinion on them (in my humble opinion of course).

Well I have watched a few offerings. Didn’t enjoy one. So I think I can say that I don’t enjoy tv+

0-3 in my book. Strikeout for me.