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Apple TV+ complete failure?

Yes, everyone check your subscriptions... don't assume you will get an extension, verify that it has been applied to keep from being charged if you don't wish to keep your subscription active.
 
pmiles said:
Yes, everyone check your subscriptions... don't assume you will get an extension, verify that it has been applied to keep from being charged if you don't wish to keep your subscription active.
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No one pays for ATV+ so that wouldn’t happen 😉
 
Just had my free trial extended to July!

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I do think older movies should be available in a monthly subscription plan. A movie from the 80s or 90s should have become cheap to offer. It's like music. Sometimes you want to hear those oldies and nothing but those oldies. If you must go paying 3.99 for every movie you must have more money than I do (not hard by the way).
 
Not sure whether to blame COVID for this long free 'trial' or the possibility that Apple doesn't want to charge for it until the library gets larger than it is.
 
Once the free 12 month trial ends on my Apple TV subscription, I will not be renewing it. I think I’ve watched maybe 2 things in it ever and every time I browse through it it’s disappointing. Certainly wouldn’t pay a monthly subscription for what it offers now personally.
 
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They're pulling a Netflix on slowly releasing seasons to shows or omitting adding new seasons entirely. It took forever to get season 2 of For All Mankind, and no sign of a Season 2 for The Morning Show, and that's the only two shows I feel interested in. What really keeps the subscription going. I doubt they will ever release them for purchase either, so don't count on them one day being on iTunes.

Netflix does this, too. Many of their 'originals' hardly get a second season and with the seasons being so darned short (too short!) it kinda sucks to get into a show and then be left at a cliffhanger (I'm talking to you, Another Life and Lost in Space!!)

Reminds me of when I got into Horatio Hornblower on A&E years ago. Got into it, then no more story! Still got the DVDs though (they did make two more DVD exclusives, at least!)
 
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nickdalzell1 said:
They're pulling a Netflix on slowly releasing seasons to shows or omitting adding new seasons entirely. It took forever to get season 2 of For All Mankind, and no sign of a Season 2 for The Morning Show, and that's the only two shows I feel interested in.
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That's a little unfair, given that many productions had to be suspended last year due to Covid.
 
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nickdalzell1 said:
Not sure whether to blame COVID for this long free 'trial' or the possibility that Apple doesn't want to charge for it until the library gets larger than it is.
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I blame neither, instead I‘m happy they’re fair and don’t start charging. Nobody saw this pandemic coming when they launched, much less it being a thing for so long.
 
nickdalzell1 said:
They're pulling a Netflix on slowly releasing seasons to shows or omitting adding new seasons entirely. It took forever to get season 2 of For All Mankind, and no sign of a Season 2 for The Morning Show, and that's the only two shows I feel interested in. What really keeps the subscription going. I doubt they will ever release them for purchase either, so don't count on them one day being on iTunes.

Netflix does this, too. Many of their 'originals' hardly get a second season and with the seasons being so darned short (too short!) it kinda sucks to get into a show and then be left at a cliffhanger (I'm talking to you, Another Life and Lost in Space!!)

Reminds me of when I got into Horatio Hornblower on A&E years ago. Got into it, then no more story! Still got the DVDs though (they did make two more DVD exclusives, at least!)
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To be fair, season 2 of Picard won't air until 2022... 2 years after the first espisode aired... and we're talking only 10 episodes when it does. All the streaming services are doing the same thing, all of them.

The reality is, streamers don't watch content the same way. They binge it. Most don't even subscribe to a service until the shows they want to see have completed a full season run. I know I'm that way. Only reason I am even watching Apple TV+ now is because it is free. There's a lot of streaming services out there, but I only subscribe to one at a time. I can rewatch all the episodes of the show I want to see the new season of at the same time as I watch the new season. If there is more than one show on that service I am interested in, all the better... longer wait for them to all line up but value added because I get a full months' viewing for the price of one month's sub. You watch shows as they are released and you are basically paying for dead air most of the month while you wait.
 
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Definitely not a fan of AppleTV+. The programs seem contrived and sanitised to me. I haven’t seen anything at all that appeals to me.

This is maybe why:
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 in regards to the company's Worldwide Video Unit with programming decisions reportedly being aligned to Cook's personal tastes, with a preference for family-friendly shows. Various programs in different stages of production have apparently had their content altered including the toning down of the Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston morning show drama series and the removal of crucifixesfrom 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."[68][69][70] The Cummings series was ultimately put into development by Amazon Video in October 2018.[71]
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_TV+
Apple will be failure unless it gives the content creators a free rein and focuses far less on focus groups and Tim Cook‘s very questionable taste.
 
quynhtrang said:
Definitely not a fan of AppleTV+. The programs seem contrived and sanitised to me. I haven’t seen anything at all that appeals to me.

This is maybe why:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_TV+
Apple will be failure unless it gives the content creators a free rein and focuses far less on focus groups and Tim Cook‘s very questionable taste.
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Not every channel has replicate HBO’s traditional taste for nudity and orgies in their shows.

And santized? Exact opposite - plenty of blood, guts, gore and F-bombs galore in other shows. Even off-screen sex is OK (e.g. one of the earlier episodes of “See” has a female character pleasured by a female slave).

I’ve been well satisifed with the adult content of the shows I’ve been watching and at no point do I feel they’ve been watered down or santized.
 
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I'm enjoying what i'm seeing though i have to ration it out and just watch 1 show at a time (though to be honest i don't really have time for much more). Though if they can keep enough on the pipeline there i might pay for it next year.I only pay for Prime and Rifftrax Friends so don't have a lot of streaming services on the go.
 
quynhtrang said:
Definitely not a fan of AppleTV+. The programs seem contrived and sanitised to me. I haven’t seen anything at all that appeals to me.
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I used to have that opinion and then it was suggested I see "See". couldn't help myself lol. I had no intentions of ever looking at See because of the premise of the show. However, I gave it a go and wow, I luv the show well I guess I luv the actress that plays The Queen on the show. The Queen is a hoot and the program is okay if you go with the program.
then there's Foundation, Invasion and the nature shows. For anything else there are options like Netflix, Prime and etc... Apple TV+ is still somewhat new and will get better in time if Apple sticks with it. Plus, it has spatial audio 😀
 
iDaniel88 said:
I agree. The only reason I'm going to subscribe to Disney+ when it hits Norway is because of The Simpsons.
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Heh.. I did another month of Disney+. The plan was to get through the back catalog of The Simpsons fare I have yet to see and move on to some Disney movies, and finishing up some SW TV series I never got through (Clone Wars, and Rebels). I did get through 4 seasons of Simpsons, but didn't have much time after that :D Oh well. I'll resub later in the year when my other SS expire.

Nütztjanix said:
I would like to add that the mixing of original content and the other stuff tends to confuse some people. They got a year of tv+ for free with their new device, but constantly encounter stuff they have to pay for to view. That’s irritating.
While I do appreciate the idea to pool everything you watch in one place, I still think the concept might benefit from some tweaking - a more distinct separation of original content and third party stuff.
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I've had this issue with Hulu and Amazon Prime. For the former, you click on something, only to realize you need to add $10 to $70 a month to get it through another channel. For the latter, there's a few to purchase or rent the program. At least with AP, there's an option to display only content that's included with your AP subscription (or Amazon originals)

Brian Y said:
I can't see it being a success. I have Apple TV+ for free and I've used it maybe 1/2 times?

I honestly can't imagine anyone actually paying for it over, say, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime etc. You can't bring a mediocre product into an already crammed marketplace.
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It has its pros and cons. FWIW, Apple's a big company with iPhone sales and other services as their bread and butter, so they don't need to rely on streaming services to get by

Pros are it's only $5 a month with no ads, and some quality content. You can also use it without Apple hardware (although I'm told if you got it for free due to a promo or with the purchase of an Apple product, you'll want to activate it on there before watching through a browser). Some people will get this just because it's Apple.

Cons are the content is indeed relatively limited compared to its competition. It seems more of a hassle to set up if you don't own Apple hardware. Ditto the converse.. I can see some people avoiding this because it's from Apple.
 
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Have it for almost one year(free with device purchase). Watched Morning Show 1st season which was very interesting and great acting and plot, however stopped watching it after it's 'unreal/manufactured' last episode on 1st season. Wife watched 'Ted Lasso'. Watched a couple of movies with Tom Hanks, and they were lukewarm at best. The Video quality and sets etc of all shows are great . Don't watch Apple Tv+ anymore. Won't renew it after free subscription runs out.

Watch mostly Netflix, and although Netflix isn't great, at least I can find something good if I can search for a couple of hours . Right now watching 'Better call Saul' and waiting on 'Ozark'. Wife watches many shows and movies on Netflix, recently she went through the 'Blade' series of movies.
 
What I would like to see from Apple TV+ and any other streaming services: if a customer hasn't seen any content in the billing period, offer a full monthly credit.

As for me, I love Apple TV+. Looking at my past viewing pattern (dating from the launch day November 2020), there's been only 3 months where I haven't watched anything on Apple TV+. Only HBO Max is as sticky for me.

My top 5 favorite dramas:
  • Defending Jacob
  • For All Mankind
  • Foundation
  • Pachinko
  • Severance
Top 5 comedies:
  • Acapulco
  • Dickinson
  • Mythic Quest
  • Schmigadoon!
  • Ted Lasso
 
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