Apple’s streaming service has amassed over 45 million subscribers, exceeding industry expectations despite a challenging content landscape and multiple price increases.
The technology giant confirmed the subscriber milestone during its promotional efforts for the upcoming “F1: The Movie” streaming debut. Senior Vice President of Apple Services, Eddy Cue, indicated in a podcast interview that the actual subscriber count is even higher than publicly reported.
This growth comes despite Apple raising subscription prices for its streaming platform three times in the past three years. The figures suggest Apple’s service is outperforming competitors like Peacock, which currently reports 41 million subscribers.
Mr. Cue acknowledged significant hurdles in content production, citing a year-and-a-half halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a nine-month writers’ strike. Despite these disruptions, he described the current results as “excellent.”
In a move to consolidate its offerings, Apple has rebranded its streaming platform from “Apple TV+” to simply “Apple TV.” This change immediately integrates the streaming service with the existing Apple TV app and the Apple TV 4K set-top box.
The rebranding effort includes an updated app icon, which is already being rolled out in the iOS 26.1 Beta 3 software version.
While external analytics firm FlixPatrol estimates Apple TV’s subscriber base at 30 million, Apple’s internal figures place it significantly higher. The company began its streaming venture by building original content from scratch, unlike many competitors who leverage extensive existing studio libraries.
Globally, Netflix remains the dominant streaming platform with 301.6 million subscribers. Other major players, including Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max, benefit from collaborations with established Hollywood studios.