Apple TV+ not reaching the 1% threshold on Nielsen sounds like a big fail, but, the thing I also see there is HBO, the legendary TV brand, barely exceeding the 1%. And I would say Apple TV more than any other streamer is trying to emulate the HBO model. Selling a higher quality product rather than chasing mere viewership. For Apple TV+, ratings mean nothing, they only sell subscriptions.
Excellent analysis of Apple TV+ and overview of current industry usage. and subscribership. I have Apple TV+, BritBox and NetFlix only with Roku and recently cancelled YouTube TV and bravely bought an antenna. It is amazing the volume of programming coming via my antenna, including only films. Roku organizes the Live TV clearly. I will keep Apple TV+ until Cape Fear is finished and then I will cancel it again. Their emphasis - which was mentioned here - on sci-fi has turned me off in the past. Severance was simply too bizarre. Stat Significant with Daniel Parris is excellent. Enjoy all the postings, too....Thanks!
I'm an Apple TV+ subscriber and your Substack with the Nielsen charts was the first time I realized how small their subscriber base was! I watch a ton of shows on there and think they do a great job prioritizing quality over quantity which perhaps is part of the problem..no trashy shows for the masses haha. You may not have the data, but it would be interesting to compare the demographics of their subscribers to other streaming services.
In the meantime, the few of us subscribers will continue to feast on the great shows they've been producing!
That graph with the Nielsen Gauge seems to suggest the big story is YouTube. Remember 2019, when YouTube was also producing its own shows, like Apple TV? Seems like they made the right call to get out of that game and let the *users* spend the money to make the shows.
A couple of other things:
- Apple TV seems like its doubling down on sci-fi shows (Neuromancer), which I guess is appropriate for its sleek tech brand.
- In 2023, Paramount Plus had as terrible numbers as Peacock. Taylor Sheridan really did save that service! This deserves its own story! He knows how to reach an audience other showrunners do not. When Sheridan moves to Universal in 2028, it will be interesting to see if Paramount can sustain its success.
I remember a survey from a few years back where even "Ted Lasso" fans didn't know it was on Apple TV+ (or Apple TV, now).
Honestly, it seems like a ton of streaming customers just think Apple TV's content exists out there in the ether of the streaming space, like Roku Channel or Tubi. Difference is, they're paying for Apple TV.
Ironically, Apple is one of the greatest branding success stories in history in the tech/DTC/consumer goods' space – but is a failure in branding a DTC/media production and distribution company.
Wouldn't be surprised if they eventually shut down their streamer, convert it to a "content waypoint" (e.g. Roku), and license their most-popular produced content to other streamers/channels.
Serious question - how does Nielsen get its data? This is purely anecdotal but I know lots of people in my circle (friends, work colleagues) who watch Apple TV shows. I realize Apple TV doesn’t get massive viewership but HBO Max doesn’t track very high on that chart and I know lots of people watch House of the Dragon or The Pitt.
Funny enough I think the branding geniuses at Apple created a branding problem. They named the hardware device Apple TV
and the streaming service the same thing! I suspect many people think they need an Apple TV device to watch Apple TV shows on their TV.
Apple TV+ not reaching the 1% threshold on Nielsen sounds like a big fail, but, the thing I also see there is HBO, the legendary TV brand, barely exceeding the 1%. And I would say Apple TV more than any other streamer is trying to emulate the HBO model. Selling a higher quality product rather than chasing mere viewership. For Apple TV+, ratings mean nothing, they only sell subscriptions.
Excellent analysis of Apple TV+ and overview of current industry usage. and subscribership. I have Apple TV+, BritBox and NetFlix only with Roku and recently cancelled YouTube TV and bravely bought an antenna. It is amazing the volume of programming coming via my antenna, including only films. Roku organizes the Live TV clearly. I will keep Apple TV+ until Cape Fear is finished and then I will cancel it again. Their emphasis - which was mentioned here - on sci-fi has turned me off in the past. Severance was simply too bizarre. Stat Significant with Daniel Parris is excellent. Enjoy all the postings, too....Thanks!
I'm an Apple TV+ subscriber and your Substack with the Nielsen charts was the first time I realized how small their subscriber base was! I watch a ton of shows on there and think they do a great job prioritizing quality over quantity which perhaps is part of the problem..no trashy shows for the masses haha. You may not have the data, but it would be interesting to compare the demographics of their subscribers to other streaming services.
In the meantime, the few of us subscribers will continue to feast on the great shows they've been producing!
That graph with the Nielsen Gauge seems to suggest the big story is YouTube. Remember 2019, when YouTube was also producing its own shows, like Apple TV? Seems like they made the right call to get out of that game and let the *users* spend the money to make the shows.
A couple of other things:
- Apple TV seems like its doubling down on sci-fi shows (Neuromancer), which I guess is appropriate for its sleek tech brand.
- In 2023, Paramount Plus had as terrible numbers as Peacock. Taylor Sheridan really did save that service! This deserves its own story! He knows how to reach an audience other showrunners do not. When Sheridan moves to Universal in 2028, it will be interesting to see if Paramount can sustain its success.
I remember a survey from a few years back where even "Ted Lasso" fans didn't know it was on Apple TV+ (or Apple TV, now).
Honestly, it seems like a ton of streaming customers just think Apple TV's content exists out there in the ether of the streaming space, like Roku Channel or Tubi. Difference is, they're paying for Apple TV.
Ironically, Apple is one of the greatest branding success stories in history in the tech/DTC/consumer goods' space – but is a failure in branding a DTC/media production and distribution company.
Wouldn't be surprised if they eventually shut down their streamer, convert it to a "content waypoint" (e.g. Roku), and license their most-popular produced content to other streamers/channels.
Serious question - how does Nielsen get its data? This is purely anecdotal but I know lots of people in my circle (friends, work colleagues) who watch Apple TV shows. I realize Apple TV doesn’t get massive viewership but HBO Max doesn’t track very high on that chart and I know lots of people watch House of the Dragon or The Pitt.
https://movieweb.com/silo-scifi-streaming-success-apple-july-2026/