Ryan Faughnder and Wendy Lee for The Los Angeles Times:
Apple is known for its billboards and television ads that boast the caliber of its iPhone cameras, but these days, the company is hawking something new — TV shows that launch Friday on its streaming service, Apple TV+… Television and digital ads touting series including Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon’s newsroom drama “The Morning Show” and Ronald D. Moore’s space epic “For All Mankind” have cost Apple at least $20 million since September, according to an estimate by ad analytics firm MediaRadar. Apple has also posted billboards in L.A. featuring new shows including the coming-of-age drama “Dickinson,” starring Hailee Steinfeld as the famed poet.
In perhaps its boldest promotional gambit, Apple is literally giving the service away to customers. People who purchase an Apple device are eligible for a free yearlong subscription to Apple TV+, which will normally cost about $5 a month.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s $4.99 a month. Why not just write that instead of “about $5”? It’s perfectly accurate and fewer characters even. Sheesh.
Though it’s a newcomer to Hollywood, Apple enjoys serious advantages in the entertainment business, including ample cash reserves and a loyal network of more than 900 million mobile phone users… But Apple also faces daunting challenges, including mixed early reviews for its shows, an absence of popular library content and a minimal track record producing shows. “The Morning Show” and “See,” a sci-fi epic starring “Game of Thrones” actor Jason Momoa, have received uneven reviews so far.
“The stage is set for a truly exciting debut,” Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said about Apple TV+ in a call with investors. “It’s a gift to our users, and from a business point of view, we’re really proud of the content.”
MacDailyNews Take: As always, the naysayers will incessantly talk down Apple’s latest venture only to be smacked in the face with the reality of Apple’s mind-boggling success soon enough.
Apple TV+ will be a massive success and, at $4.99/month, if Apple just leaves the price alone for three years, the company will have 100+ million paying subscribers with 36 months from launch. — MacDailyNews, October 23, 2019
Apple TV+, the first all-original video subscription service and home for today’s most imaginative storytellers, will launch November 1 in over 100 countries and regions. The service will be available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, as well as select Samsung smart TVs, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices and online at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. Customers who purchase any new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch starting September 10, 2019, can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free. Beginning November 1, customers can initiate the one-year free offer in the Apple TV app on the device running the latest software.
Do find it amusing when ‘4.99’ and its ilk are deliberate and provenenly successful a method deliberately used by companies to make something seem cheaper than it really is, that someone gets it in the neck for doing the opposite in describing it and not playing the game.
“Minimal track record of producing shows”
Eh
Apple also had no track record producing Macs, selling music , making phones, tablets, wireless headphones or building a big round office 😀