Apple doesn’t need to win the streaming wars

The cast of “For All Mankind” celebrate the launch of the new show coming to Apple TV+ on November 1. Left to right: Jodi Balfour, Joel Kinnaman, Sarah Jones, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt, Shantel VanSanten.
The cast of “For All Mankind” celebrate the launch of their new show on Apple TV+. Left to right: Jodi Balfour, Joel Kinnaman, Sarah Jones, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt, Shantel VanSanten.

Dallas Lawrence for VentureBeat:

On November 1, Apple launched its much anticipated streaming service aptly named Apple TV+. The service enters a competitive consumer landscape with offerings from the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and HBO already clamoring for subscribers… While the market is becoming increasingly crowded, what is being lost in much of the “streaming wars” horse race analysis is the reality that not every entrant is competing for the same crown.

For Netflix, the streaming wars are life or death. For Disney, it’s about futureproofing the business and ensuring its incredible IP sustains its value in a changing media ecosystem. For Amazon, it’s about making Prime stickier. For Apple, however, streaming is really more of value add play — a vehicle for the world’s most valuable company to continue its evolution away from a pure hardware company into a services business… it is important to remember that it doesn’t need to win the streaming wars to succeed.

MacDailyNews Take: Yup.

Apple TV+, at just $4.99 per month, doesn’t have to disrupt Netflix by taking subscribers; it’s additive. Most people who already subscribe to Netflix will simply add Apple TV+, not drop Netflix for it. Many, tens of millions in the first year alone, will get Apple TV+ for free with the purchase of any iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, or Mac! — MacDailyNews, October 21, 2019

3 Comments

  1. They are right I twice got Amazon Prime accidentally watched for a month then cancelled. Then I decided to get it ro watch Man in the High Tower and as I had 3 series to see I kept it going then I got into the Grand Tour and now I have accepted for the foreseeable future at least it stays. Apple will probably find a similar effect when those millions of free year trials come to an end, the small amount of money per month means it only needs one or two series to get into like I found, to keep you paying. The next year will be all about getting that mix and quality right to do the job and if they do they already have a massive user base.

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