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

[Alan Wynn]

The question though is do you want the better service for more money or the (arguably) inferior service for less money?

If I did not get Netflix included with my T-Mobile service, I am not sure I would keep it. I have HBO Go/Max/Now/Later/WhoCanRemember, CBS All Access/Paramount+, Disney+ (for $4 a month for 3 years), and Hulu. For $18 a month I am not sure I watch enough Netflix to make it worth it. On the other hand, I have Apple One Premier and I have easily received more than my money’s worth for it.

I think one big problem for Apple is that even their so-called high quality shows haven’t really gained that much traction.

I think one problem they have is that they still have not got enough people to actually try their shows. Whether they ever do is really the question. Again, having a bigger library will certainly help.

I know it’s not just an either-or scenario but it seems most people will just be cancelling the service instead of paying the $5 incremental cost once the time comes they actually have to pay for it.

I loved Ted Lasso, have really been enjoying See, thought For All Mankind and The Morning Show were good. Still want to watch Defending Jacob, Servant, Tehran and Dickinson.

There are many great Netflix originals. Your tastes may differ, but I really liked Daredevil, Punisher, and Jessica Jones, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Queen's Gambit, Santa Clarita Diet, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, etc.

Pretty sure that Daredevil, Punisher, and Jessica Jones are no longer on Netflix (I think Disney owns them again). As you said, we all have different tastes. I hated Daredevil never watched Punisher or Jessica Jones. I liked the first season of Stranger Things but have not gotten past the second episode of season 2. I really liked The OA and was annoyed it is suffered from a common problem with Netflix series - two seasons are valuable for them (first season generates some buzz, second season gets people to watch it, but cancelling before the third season does not cost them subscribers and saves them money). Heard great things about Queen’s Gambit and enough positive comments to convince me to try Bridgerton (“Gossip Girl” as a period piece). Watched an episode of each of The Santa Clarita Diet and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt but did not like either.

Many of the library shows I used to watch on Netflix have since moved to Hulu (Stargate) or CBS All Access (Star Trek). There are other shows on Netflix that I like, but again, if it were not free, I am not sure there are enough to justify the cost.

 

[Alan Wynn]

I believe their goal is indeed to compete with Netflix and other streaming services eventually - as a viable standalone service.

You may be right, they may want to compete as a streaming service on its own, but the evidence you provide does not make your case very strongly.

I think there is ample evidence to that: namely that Apple very uncharacteristically went out of their with platform support, in making (and supporting) the service running on everything but the kitchen sink. Playstation, Xbox, Android, Samsung, Sony and Vizio TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, you name it. To me that's clear indication that they want to compete with the biggest services out there, including Netflix.

Or they realize that to have even their own customers see this content, they need to be on the players where they will view it. AppleTV hardware does not have enough market share to make it a viable option, and they needed a solution for households with Android users in much they have Apple Music available on Android as well. However, I do not see them promoting Apple Music in primarily Android venues.

The problem is: Due to their limited catalog they are currently unable to compete at similar price points.

Their limited catalog makes it possibly to compete with Netflix at any price point. Whether they build it up enough to make it a competitor for the biggest streaming service, or just enough to make it interesting and increase the stickiness of the ecosystem.

Apple One on the other hand is targeted at customers that have sold their souls subscribed to the entire Apple ecosystem. Which doesn't work with many the aforementioned platforms.

Apple Music ($9.95 a month), iCloud Storage ($9.95) and Apple TV+ ($4.95) are all cross platform, but no one would consider iCloud Storage to be a standalone service.

 

[EugW]

I think one problem they have is that they still have not got enough people to actually try their shows. Whether they ever do is really the question. Again, having a bigger library will certainly help.

No, they have lots of subscriptions but they are free. People have been trying the shows but haven’t been enthused, and most won’t be renewing when the free subscription period ends.

A big problem is Apple TV+ has no back catalogue. Once the few shows a customer might like are done, there is nothing else to watch.

Pretty sure that Daredevil, Punisher, and Jessica Jones are no longer on Netflix (I think Disney owns them again).

That is incorrect. Those Marvel shows are still on Netflix and always will be. However, they won’t be making any more episodes.

As you said, we all have different tastes. I hated Daredevil never watched Punisher or Jessica Jones. I liked the first season of Stranger Things but have not gotten past the second episode of season 2. I really liked The OA and was annoyed it is suffered from a common problem with Netflix series - two seasons are valuable for them (first season generates some buzz, second season gets people to watch it, but cancelling before the third season does not cost them subscribers and saves them money). Heard great things about Queen’s Gambit and enough positive comments to convince me to try Bridgerton (“Gossip Girl” as a period piece). Watched an episode of each of The Santa Clarita Diet and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt but did not like either.

Yes, our tastes differ but the point was Daredevil was a HUGE hit for Netflix, more so than say See apparently.

And See was hella expensive.

Many of the library shows I used to watch on Netflix have since moved to Hulu (Stargate) or CBS All Access (Star Trek). There are other shows on Netflix that I like, but again, if it were not free, I am not sure there are enough to justify the cost.

I still get Star Trek on Netflix Canada. You might consider getting a VPN.

I don’t know if we ever had Stargate here on Netflix but I get it on my cable TV anyway.

 

[Alan Wynn]

No, they have lots of subscriptions but they are free. People have been trying the shows but haven’t been enthused, and most won’t be renewing when the free subscription period ends.

Free subscriptions are not really subscriptions. You base your statement that people have been trying the shows based on what? According to the reports, 62% are on trials. Of those 30% say they will renew (18.6% of the total), 29% (17.98% of the total) say they will cancel and the rest - 41% (25.42% of the total) say they are not yet sure. Apple keeps extending the trial in the hope that as they release more content they will have a better chance of retaining those users.

A big problem is Apple TV+ has no back catalogue. Once the few shows a customer might like are done, there is nothing else to watch.

Apple’s lack of a back catalog is absolutely an issue and is why they keep extending their trials. They had expected to have many more shows ready, but the pandemic hurt their production schedule. They are in this for the long haul and that means building and buying a library. Whether they will be successful is still unclear.

That is incorrect. Those Marvel shows are still on Netflix and always will be. However, they won’t be making any more episodes.

My understanding is that they had a run of series license with a two year option past that. Meaning that after last November, Disney regains the rights and Netflix loses the shows.

Yes, our tastes differ but the point was Daredevil was a HUGE hit for Netflix, more so than say See apparently.

First, I am not sure how big a hit the show was given they cancelled it after 3 years, and keeping it in production would have meant they kept the license (same for all the other Marvel shows). Second, you listed one or two shows per production year, out of a much larger slate than Apple TV+. Apple’s biggest hit so far has been Ted Lasso, although The Morning Show and Tehran have both also done pretty well as far as I understand.

And See was hella expensive.

Certainly seems like it was. Ted Lasso and Tehran are not expensive. Not sure why that matters. If people knew in advance which shows would hit, they would not make the misses.

I still get Star Trek on Netflix Canada. You might consider getting a VPN.

So in order to keep the most expensive streaming service without a lot that I watch, I should pay another $5 a month? Seems like that just makes it a worse value proposition for me.

I don’t know if we ever had Stargate here on Netflix but I get it on my cable TV anyway.

I get it on Hulu and do not subscribe to cable.

 

[EugW]

My understanding is that they had a run of series license with a two year option past that. Meaning that after last November, Disney regains the rights and Netflix loses the shows.

Your understanding is incorrect. The shows are still on Netflix in February 2021. However, they can't make any new ones, because they no longer have the licence to do so.

First, I am not sure how big a hit the show was given they cancelled it after 3 years, and keeping it in production would have meant they kept the license (same for all the other Marvel shows). Second, you listed one or two shows per production year, out of a much larger slate than Apple TV+. Apple’s biggest hit so far has been Ted Lasso, although The Morning Show and Tehran have both also done pretty well as far as I understand.

As you mentioned Disney repatriated the Marvel stuff.

When Daredevil was cancelled, it was the fourth most popular show on Netflix. It had lost a lot of viewers vs. the first season, but it was still a big hit otherwise. Disney claims that they were still willing to licence it to Netflix, but it is widely rumoured that Netflix was getting really sick of the relationship with Disney (with cost being part of that) so they just cut ties with them completely.

The sad part is that these shows are far too gritty for Disney+, so they are likely dead forever in this form. If they ever appear again on Disney+, they will be heavily sanitized.

You may not like this genre of show or else these specific shows, but comic book show fans worldwide generally felt Netflix was the best thing that had ever happened with the Daredevil franchise.

Certainly seems like it was. Ted Lasso and Tehran are not expensive. Not sure why that matters. If people knew in advance which shows would hit, they would not make the misses.

Of course cost matters.

Apple's approach, like Netflix's was earlier on, was to throw gobs of money at everything, but it hasn't paid off as much as it should have for Apple.

So in order to keep the most expensive streaming service without a lot that I watch, I should pay another $5 a month? Seems like that just makes it a worse value proposition for me.

YMMV, but a lot of people would rather pay $5 more per month to watch Netflix from other countries than $5 more per month to keep Apple TV+. Count me in as one of them, despite otherwise being an Apple fan. In truth, $5 is nothing, but I still have little incentive to spend even that for Apple TV+ come fall. Furthermore, VPNs for video streaming don’t just apply to Netflix, they also apply to Amazon Prime and and other streaming services as well as other various websites, including for free content. Free content on a lot of websites is only available in specific countries. In other countries it’s just unavailable.

The point is, even though you may like Apple TV+, it seems that in the greater scheme of things in the video streaming world, you are in the minority. Apple TV+ so far has not been a big success for Apple. If it had been, they wouldn't be continuing to make it free for everyone, especially in a period when everyone is at home streaming video.

 

[SoYoung]

I received the mail one month ago and stil nothing. When I’m supposed to receive the credit?

 

[Bro KV]

I received the mail one month ago and stil nothing. When I’m supposed to receive the credit?

Same here and I just paid my Apple One Premier too. I guess February isn’t over yet.

 

[Abazigal]

Just subscribed to Disney+ and I must say, it's nice to be able to access content through the TV app. I kinda get what Apple is trying to achieve with the TV app and TV+ as a streaming service, but I also get why many streaming services are hesitant to support this, because it risks less autonomy of their own streaming app / service.

 

[Bro KV]

Same here and I just paid my Apple One Premier too. I guess February isn’t over yet.

Still nothing for me, anyone receive their credit?

 

[SoYoung]

Still nothing for me, anyone receive their credit?

Nope. Nothing here either. Its more than a month now, at this point I'm not counting on it.

 

[iosuser]

Still nothing for me, anyone receive their credit?

Nope. Nothing here either. Its more than a month now, at this point I'm not counting on it.

I emailed Apple yesterday about the credit. Below is the reply I received. For reference I'm on the Apple One Family plan, and it renewed at $19.95 without the credit.

"Thanks for contacting us. I understand that you still haven’t received the free Apple TV+ credit on your account. I’ll be glad to look into this and provide relevant information for you.

I’d like to inform you that the credits aren’t applied until the first 14 days of the following month, hence, you should start receiving credits on or before March 14 and so on.

Ensure that the subscription remains active until the end of promotion to receive credits. You can use them to purchase contents from the iTunes Store."

 

[SoYoung]

I emailed Apple yesterday about the credit. Below is the reply I received. For reference I'm on the Apple One Family plan, and it renewed at $19.95 without the credit.

"Thanks for contacting us. I understand that you still haven’t received the free Apple TV+ credit on your account. I’ll be glad to look into this and provide relevant information for you.

I’d like to inform you that the credits aren’t applied until the first 14 days of the following month, hence, you should start receiving credits on or before March 14 and so on.

Ensure that the subscription remains active until the end of promotion to receive credits. You can use them to purchase contents from the iTunes Store."

My Apple One sub renewed on Feb 8 so when they said 2 weeks after the following month is that mean the month after your renew date or the month after? Anyway, I'll see, thanks for the update!

 

[Bro KV]

My renewal was February 24th and my credit showed up sometime between yesterday and this morning.

 

[SoYoung]

My renewal was February 24th and my credit showed up sometime between yesterday and this morning.

same here!

 

[Canyda]

Where does one go in your Apple ID settings to see if the credit has been applied? Purchase History?

 

[Bro KV]

Where does one go in your Apple ID settings to see if the credit has been applied? Purchase History?

I go to App Store > Account > Add Funds to Account

Then it shows account balance

 

[Canyda]

I just got an email from Apple saying my $5.99 credit has been applied to my account.