Apple TV+ Imports 29 More Licensed Movies as Experiments with Library Content Continue
Viewers will be able to stream classics like ‘The Godfather,’ contemporary action like ‘John Wick,’ and more on Apple TV+ for a limited time.
If you’re looking for a movie night this week and you want to curl up with an old favorite, why not try Apple TV+? Normally, this streaming service only carries its own original TV shows and films, but Mac Rumors reports that during the month of April it will offer 29 licensed movies for a limited time. This is the second such experiment from Apple TV+ recently, suggesting that the streamer is seriously considering adding library content as a permanent fixture going forward.
- Titles available on Apple TV+ in April include “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Forest Gump,” “Transformers” and more.
- The movies will only be available on Apple TV+ for four to eight weeks each.
- Apple TV+ first began this experiment in early March, when it added more than 50 licensed movies.
The new films available on Apple TV+ span several genres. Some of them, such as the Civil War-era drama “Free State of Jones” starring Matthew McConaughey, can help promote current Apple TV+ projects like “Manhunt,” which is set in the same period. Others, such as the “Transformers” trilogy have seemingly no connection to any current Apple TV+ originals however.
The list of newly licensed movies available on Apple TV+ now includes:
- 42
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
- Armageddon
- Arrival
- Bridesmaids
- Bridge of Spies
- Clueless
- Contagion
- Crazy Rich Asians
- Crazy Stupid Love
- Dunkirk
- Forest Gump
- Free State of Jones
- Ghostbusters
- Inception
- John Wick
- John Wick 2
- John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
- Sherlock Holmes
- Taken
- The Departed
- The Godfather
- The Godfather: Part II
- The Heat
- The Italian Job
- The Town
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- Transformers
This is the second time in as many months that Apple TV+ has imported licensed movies from other studios. At the beginning of March, the streamer added more than 50 films from various outlets, the biggest single addition of content to its catalog in the streamer’s short history.
Each of the movies available on Apple TV+ is available for either four or eight weeks, meaning that none of them will last on the platform longer than the end of May. If you want to stream these titles on Apple TV+, don't wait.
Is Apple TV+ Going to Add Licensed Titles Permanently?
Ever since its launch in late 2019, Apple TV+ has steadfastly adhered to a policy of offering its own original content and nothing else when it comes to on-demand video. But the fact that it has added 80 licensed movies in the past two months, albeit temporarily in each case, suggests that this is more than an attempt to drive customers back to more Apple originals.
If Apple TV+ does acquire some licensed content permanently, it will move closer in line with the giants in the streaming world. Library and catalog titles like the movies recently imported to Apple TV+ are important to streamers because they give customers a subset of content that’s a little older, and may well have been seen by a majority of subscribers before. Viewers find comfort in these kinds of shows and movies, as they allow the watcher to put something on in the background while they scroll their phone or do chores.
In the industry, this is known as “lean-back” viewing, as it requires nothing more from the viewer than to lean back and enjoy. “Lean-forward” viewing is just the opposite, compelling the viewer to keep their eyes on the screen and become engrossed in the story lest they miss an important plot point. FX chairman John Landgraf has estimated that 80% of all TV watching ever done is “lean-back,” and data has shown that audiences respond strongly to licensed content on streamers, especially women.
The reason that Apple has not licensed titles for streaming on Apple TV+ before was that it simply did not have to. The company makes enough money from its global sales of iPhones and other devices that it can afford to let its streaming service come along at its own pace. But five years into Apple TV+’s existence, estimates are still placing its subscriber total in the 40-50 million customer range. The company may be willing to take more steps to build scale, and licensed titles like the 29 new movies available on Apple TV+ now could be part of the plan.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is a subscription video streaming service for $9.99 a month that includes high-quality original shows and movies including Best Picture winner “CODA,” popular sitcom “Ted Lasso,” and dramas like “The Morning Show” and “Severance.” Apple TV+ is also home to MLB baseball games on Friday nights and MLS Season Pass.