Apple TV+’s Focus on Quality Programming Gave It the Most Popular Streaming Originals in the Second Quarter of 2023
It’s a very thin needle to thread for the largest company in the world to position one of its divisions as an underdog, yet that is exactly what Apple has done with its small but mighty streaming service Apple TV+. With the smallest library of all of the premium platforms, Apple TV+ can’t compete with the likes of Netflix, Max, and Hulu when it comes to total viewing time or number of titles, but increasingly, the service is becoming home to the most popular original series and movies on streaming.
New data from research firm Whip Media, as reported by The Wrap, indicates that in the second quarter of 2023, Apple TV+ has a legitimate claim to being called the most popular streaming service in America. From April through June, the streamer boasted 31 entrees on Whip’s list of the top 10 most-watched streaming shows each week. That total was markedly ahead of Netflix’s 26 and nearly doubled Apple’s 17 from the previous quarter. Max was in third place in Q2 with 18, followed by Paramount+’s 16.
Unsurprisingly, the potentially final season of “Ted Lasso” was the most oft-represented show for the streamer last quarter; for seven straight weeks, the feel-good dramedy was one of the top three series in the United States according to Whip Media. However, Jason Sudeikis’ swansong as the unflappably optimistic soccer football coach who quietly works on his mental health wasn’t the only Apple series to appear on the list. The service’s flagship series was joined by science-fiction hit “Silo,” the second season of musical comedy “Schmigadoon!,” the buddy comedy “Platonic,” and the Jennifer Garner-led best-seller adaptation “The Last Thing He Told Me.” The first season of “Silo” closed the quarter incredibly strongly as it rode strong reviews and word of mouth to continually gain viewership as the season progressed and multiple appearances in Whip’s top three.
Since launch, the streamer has eschewed the need to load up on licensed content to build out its library, opting instead to focus on producing its own star-studded titles at its own pace. With a focus on quality over quantity, the streamer did initially invite questions about the sustainability of its strategy, but having stuck to its founding principles, Apple TV+ has begun to not only collect Emmy Awards and nominations, but to make a dent in the industry’s viewership rankings as well.
In the middle of Q2, data from Nielsen indicated that Apple TV+’s viewership had increased nearly 150% year-over-year and analysis from research firm Reelgood indicates that the platform grew its total share of TV viewership from 1.4% in January to 2.2% as of June.
However, it is not just the mix of critically acclaimed and increasingly popular TV series that has given Apple a stronger standing in the streaming industry, but it is also its growing investment in films that has seen the platform thrive. The action rom-com “Ghosted,” which starred major movie stars Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, didn’t wow critics, but audiences tuned in, making it the first Apple original film to rise to No. 1 on Whip’s weekly top 10 movie list. When you combine that success with the film “Tetris” and the documentary “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” it shows why the company is ready to invest over $1 billion on movies each year.
“Still” has been the highest charting documentary on Whip’s list this year and with Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” arriving in theaters on Oct. 6 before streaming exclusively on Apple TV+, there is certainly reason to think that this could be the not-yet-four-year-old service’s best season of films to date.
Unlike pretty much every other streaming service, Apple TV+ and Amazon’s Prime Video don’t necessarily have to be profitable on their own. While the executives at each company would obviously prefer that they were, the streamers are just small corners of otherwise massively profitable corporations and tie into larger revenue-generating operations. So while I don’t think either would be considered a loss leader, it is far easier for each to take more methodical approaches to growth.
While Apple TV+ and Prime Video operate from very different strategic perspectives, they both seem to be succeeding, despite the headwinds that are hampering the rest of the industry. While neither company reveals its individual membership totals, Apple TV+’s customer base has been estimated at anywhere from 25 to 50 million, a relatively small, but growing total. Prime Video said in 2021 that it had over 200 million paying customers, and at the end of last year, market intelligence firm Parks Associates reported that it had the largest American subscriber base, marking the first time that any service had eclipsed Netflix in the United States. Of course, it bears noting that all customers who subscribe to Amazon Prime for its discounts and free shipping also have access to Prime Video, whether they realize (or use) it or not.
Nonetheless, Apple TV+ is slowly, but surely, asserting itself as one of the must-have streaming services for top-line premium content. At just $6.99 per month, the platform is finally building up its library of series and films in order to make it worth a year-round investment and while it still has a long way to go in order to compete with the biggest players in the industry, Apple’s larger corporate structure should give it more than enough runway to grow at a sustainable and eventually profitable pace.
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.