The Apple TV+ golden era might be coming to an end – report

While several streaming services are prioritising quantity and memeable mass appeal for original content, Apple TV+ has been renowned for taking on the ‘prestige TV’ mantle.

However, the no-expense spared strategy that has yielded hits like Severance, Ted Lasso, Sunny, Constellation, For All Mankind, Foundation, Masters of the Air, and The Morning Show among others, might be coming to an end.

A new Bloomberg report claims Apple is going to “rein in Hollywood spending” to counter losses from its production department.

The report, from the Screentime newsletter which intersects tech and Hollywood, says Apple has spent “$20 billion on content not a lot of people watch” and now wants to exert more control over production partners’ spending.

A key paragraph from the report claims that, amid critical acclaim, Apple TV+ shows are struggling to connect to a audiences, while starting Apple TV+ one accounts for as tiny 0.2% of all viewing in the United States. What Apple racks up in a month in viewership, Netflix gets in a day, the report states.

But for all the star power and emphasis on quality, few Apple shows have broken through to the wider public. Over the last five years, the company has only had four series make Nielsen’s weekly list of the 10 most-popular original streaming shows. Apple TV+ released the most-watched streaming show of 2023 — Ted Lasso – but accounts for a smaller share of top 10 hits than any streaming service save for Paramount+.

Bloomberg

The result is Apple might be cancelling shows quicker that don’t prove a hit with viewers, while third-party studios might need to eat some of the losses when projects go over budget. It also points out that Apple is now looking to license existing movies – which we also reported last week – to ensure there’s more to watch than original programming.

Either way, it would be a shame if Apple did move away from its recent commitment to making top-notch telly in an era where it no longer seems to be prioritised by the likes of HBO.