Former Netflix CEO: Apple Not in Streaming Market 'With Both Feet'

[JDuggan]

It's true, Apple TV+ is bad in almost every regard. The content is awful and the UI is even worse. But it's not like Netflix is any better.

HBO is the only streaming service making interesting original programming.

Thing is, Apple will continue to pump money into this thing. It'll get there eventually.

 

[notabadname]

Ted Lasso is excellent. Plenty of other shows on other service weren’t heard of either. I certainly would recommend Lasso to anyone. And I find it particularly funny and enjoyable with so many shows that are going for dark themes. I am ready for something a little more upbeat and positive in the age of COVID.

 

[Martinpa]

As the one streaming service continually raising their price without offering 4K as the default, and in which it is increasingly hard to find good content because of the bloat and the 90% of original content that is just trash, Netflix is continuously losing point for me. I rarely open the app, ‘cause unless I know what I want to watch, I know it’ll be a maze of weird suggestions and irrelevant (to me) original programming being highlighted.

 

[alexhardaker]

I got free access to Apple TV+ in November when I got my m1 mini.
I only logged into it two weeks ago
It is dog ****.

I watched greyhound. Meh. I also know apple bought this after it was made as it was meant to be a cinema release.

I watched the servant season 1. Absolute garbage. Nothing happens at all.

I am now watching morning wars. It’s alright. I thought it was meant to be a comedy about competing morning shows with Michael Scott but I was dead wrong.

At this rate I will never pay for Apple TV+ and will never recommend it to anyone.

Servant season 2 is a lot better. Try it

 

[dumastudetto]

What is Netflix?

Never used whatever it is, and never will.

I am loving the award-winning originals on Apple TV+ though.

 

[derekamoss]

Disney has almost no new content. We get it 1/6 months to catch up on anything that came out. When my free membership from Apple expires I am off that as well as very little interest my family (but Ted Lasso is the best show I have seen in a long time). Shocked how little content HBO has but ATT giving it free so who cares.

The big deal isn't about new content. When Netflix started streaming even, they didn't have new content. It's about the back catalogue which Netflix, Disney and Hulu have a lot of Apple has crap. You get people to sign up with new exclusive content but the only way to keep them to stay is by having a crap load of stuff for the to watch otherwise. The value of Apple TV+ just isn't anywhere near the value of other streaming services.

 

[ian87w]

The big deal isn't about new content. When Netflix started streaming even, they didn't have new content. It's about the back catalogue which Netflix, Disney and Hulu have a lot of Apple has crap. You get people to sign up with new exclusive content but the only way to keep them to stay is by having a crap load of stuff for the to watch otherwise. The value of Apple TV+ just isn't anywhere near the value of other streaming services.

I think Apple might be thinking of the long game. Streaming is Netflix’ bread and butter, but it’s not Apple’s. And the business is not actually easy, as the cost in terms of originals and licenses can be quite huge. Netflix keeps increasing their prices, which means their business model probably is not working too well. Meanwhile Apple is making their money from iPhones. Maybe Apple is waiting it out for Netflix to bleed dry... while they are building their exclusive library bit by bit.

 

[1rottenapple]

Agreed.

they need to buy rights to something people actually want to watch. People are becoming addicted to streaming services. Apple has what? The morning show? See? Even HBO Max raised by wolves spoke to me more than any show on Apple TV. Buying big name movies is a start but giving Oprah all these shows isn’t the move.

Is Oprah even relevant? Seems like apple is 10 years behind the culture. She was big back then but who cares about her. We want nerdy mcu type of properties to sink our teeth into.

 

[1rottenapple]

Sorry, but almost all netflix original is a total crap. Why are people watching this? I don't know.

It’s subjective. I find there’d always something interesting with Netflix. The top ten has been helpful finding good stuff so to me, it’s been worth holding on to it. Same with HBO max. And Disney. Oh I got Hulu for $2 for a years. But it’s great cause you can share log in.

 

[kave]

I agree, at this pace I am not interested in paying anything for Apple TV+. Took me a few weeks to see it all.

 

[G4DPII]

Apple will never have a massive catalogue.

Disney own such a vast quantity of the content ever produced. Now with the addition of Star to the stremaing app giving people a far greater amount of the 20th Century Fox catalogue there is even less reason to look at other services.

Whilst better, Netflix really isn't that much better than AppleTV. They have a few things to watch once a year (Lucifer, Lost In Space etc) and a lot of these are reaching e.o.l.

 

[Johnny907]

I can’t remember the last time I loaded AppleTV.
The next time won’t be until the full second season of For All Mankind is available.
Cook programs ATV with the sort of boring drivel he watches, and it shows.

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

While I see the merit to his comments I don’t think the criticism is 100 percent fair. I only use Apple TV for servant but I do think it’s unfair to completely say it sucks during a pandemic

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

Also Netflix has loads of content but 99 percent is trash anyway lol

 

[Berliner27]

I never actually use it even tho i have a free trial. Only watched it twice, the Snoopy space thing and the Tom Hanks movie. Why? Because i knew it existed and looked it up.

If they want people to just go and watch something when they're bored as people do with Netflix, they have to work on their interface.

It's mind boggling to me how they could actually release this app. There is so much content there and i never know if i have to pay for it or if it's an original. And if i imagine now that people who actually subscribe and pay for it open the app they're paying for, only to discover that 80% of it's content needs some other subscription or for it to be bought or rented, it just feels like such a scam. They need to make the app purely about their own content, and if they really have to, maybe add all the other stuff to some hidden tab that's like "stuff you could also watch if you wanna pay more".

I really love everything Apple but this clusterf*** is something i can never justify to anyone.

 

[selfoss]

In my opinion it would be nice if ATV+ went the HBO or even MUBI way, putting quality before quantity (like Netflix). A streaming service with high quality, maybe even niche, films and series.

 

[Biorunner]

I like the variation of ip on Netflix but it’s funny that a lot of their own produced movies and tv shows aren’t very good.

I find that I tend to watch general release movies and shows made by the BBC on the Netflix platform.

Netflix may have “jumped in with both feet” but quantity doesn’t equal quality.

 

[ruimpinho]

Apple TV+ is in its early stages. Give it a few years maybe.

 

[mazz0]

I agree Apple TV+ needs way more stuff, but I disagree that the content isn't as good as Netflix's. Yeah, Netflix has a lot, but the vast majority of stuff I see on it these days is crap.

 

[threesixty360]

I kind of feel Apple is trying to be more of an aggregator of content with an addition of their own "high brow" niche content.
Apple highlights other channels content in your main feed quite alot. To the point where I'm not sure who is giving me what (BBC, Prime, Stars etc..). What I do notice is that it's pretty useful to keep track of the things I'm actually watching on several services via the "next up". And being able to search for content on all these services is a bit of a win.

I dont think Apple really intend to compete with Netflix or Disney at all.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

The pandemic should have HELPED viewership - that “and during a pandemic” excuse is simply that. Excuse culture to allow bad things to justify failure and lack of achievement and courage. Are things harder? Yes. Is it ideal? No. Are there people and companies that can get it done regardless? Yes. Is Apple proving to be one of them with regards to content and increasing paying memberships? If what Netflix ex CEO is insinuating is true, appears not.

You're right, it would have definitely helped viewership. However, when it comes to producing the content for people to view, that's where the challenges have been. It's not been impossible, but it has been a lot tougher. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[123]

The experience also just sucks. I'm on my new free subscription, open the app and think: OK, let's check this out!! Wow, great selection of movies, let's try something. Oh wait, what? I have to pay for it? Hmm, let's check out something else.. ah, also not free. So what's the point of TV+? Eventually I figure out that I have to go to this special section where I can actually watch something. Only, there is 5 series and 3 movies in there that I'm not particularly interested in. That's it? That's it! Canceled.

 

[kk200]

Sorry, but almost all netflix original is a total crap. Why are people watching this? I don't know.

They don't need to make every show be great. They just need 6-12 excellent shows/year, it would enough to keep people stay. For TV+, right now the number is 0 for me.

 

[ian87w]

Is Oprah even relevant? Seems like apple is 10 years behind the culture. She was big back then but who cares about her. We want nerdy mcu type of properties to sink our teeth into.

When you’re virtue signaling, you want the proper set of characters in your library. Probably doesn’t matter if people actually watch it or not, it’s more about “Hey, that’s where Oprah is.”

 

[Ortiz83]

I'm currently watching Ted Lasso that everyone's raving about and I don't think it's that good

I’m sure there are people out there that don’t like Schindler’s list and that’s considered the number 1 movie ever. Not everyone is going to like everything.