Apple TV Plus - What is it Should you get it Everything you need to know - Android

Is Apple TV Plus worth it?

Whether or not Apple TV Plus is worth it will depend on how much you value fresh and original content. It’s not the platform for people who want to binge watch The Office for the umpteenth time, with just a tiny catalog of non-original content.

Apple TV Plus features some great original content that could be worth the subscription fee for serious TV junkies. They include The Morning Show, a drama starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell, See, an epic sci-fi drama starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, and many others.

Compared to other big hitters in the streaming world, Apple TV Plus won’t offer access to new blockbuster films or fan-favorite classics, but it’s the only service to focus so heavily on big-budget original content. Apple reportedly has a budget of $6 billion to attract top-tier talent to the platform, and deep pockets to keep it running as time goes on.

Read also: The best streaming services — Netflix, Disney Plus, and more

Apple TV Plus also has a fairly generous family sharing plan, allowing up to six family members to use the same account. Even better, they can use their own logins, so you don’t need to share your password with anybody.

Another thing to consider is that if you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, you may be able to get a year of service for free.

What the experts think

The general consensus from streaming and media experts is that although Apple TV Plus has a solid lineup of original content and fantastic streaming quality, there simply isn’t enough content (yet). 

In our Apple TV review (link below), we noted that while it isn’t exactly a runaway success, Apple’s streaming service is a solid contender. In addition to a unique three-episode-a-week content strategy to get watchers hooked fast, it also features the best streaming bitrate in the business. Plus, at just five bucks a month and a generous free year offer, Apple isn’t asking much for access to its content.

Read also: Why I like Apple TV Plus (and maybe you will too)

That said, in our comparisons with other top streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus (more on this later), the difference in the amount of content is staggering. Although both services cost more than Apple TV Plus, their catalogs are significantly larger and constantly evolving.

Apple invested a lot of money into Apple Originals and many of them are truly worth watching, but none of them so far have managed to capture the attention of the public. Disney Plus has The Mandalorian, Hulu has Handmaid’s Tale, and Netflix has House of Cards and many others. The closest thing to a hit that Apple TV Plus has is The Morning Show, which got mixed reviews at launch.

Apple has since begun adding syndicated content to the service, but it will probably never boast the same expansive catalog of shows and movies as its competitors. No one is saying the service is bad, just that it doesn’t offer the same value proposition as other options. This could easily change in the future with one or two massive hit shows.

What users think

If you could only pick one, which streaming service would you choose?

Apple has always kept user numbers close to the chest, so it’s difficult to tell just how successful Apple TV Plus has been with everyday users. Complicating matters further, virtually all of the current Apple TV Plus subscribers are still on their free year. This means that subscriber numbers could tank when the first wave of free trials expires come November.

In May of 2020, we asked our own readers at Android Authority which streaming service they would pick if they could only pick one, and Apple TV Plus captured less than 1% of the vote (results above). Most users commented that the library was simply too small, although it might fare better as a second or third subscription for those who can’t get enough content.

Read also: We asked, you told us: Netflix wins big, Apple TV Plus falls (very) short

There are, of course, other ways to gauge interest in the service. One is Google Trends, which tracks search volume for certain keywords. Apple TV Plus spiked when it was first announced, then again when the service launched. It’s done nothing but stagnate since then, even in the face of a global pandemic where everyone is at home streaming media.

Compared to another service that launched around the same time, Disney Plus, Apple TV plus is barely a blip on the radar. It’s failed to grab public attention, either due to a lack of compelling material on the platform or a lack of a big marketing push from Apple.

Our best indication of user numbers come from a report from Bloomberg that claims (via unnamed sources) that as of February 2020, about 10 million people have subscribed to the service. Of that number, only about half have actively used the service, according to the report. Those numbers fall far short of rival Disney Plus, which went online around the same time. Disney says that it has recorded over 54 million subscribers for its service between November 2019 and April 2020.

One of Apple’s biggest strengths is its install base of 1.5 billion users, but of those it’s estimated that less than 10% have actually signed up. Considering the free offer was for a full year of the service, this indicates that for the vast majority of users the initial roster of shows and movies simply isn’t interesting enough to even try the service.

While the most common complaint online is the lack of content, other users have bemoaned the limited device support. Apple TV Plus doesn’t officially support Android devices or most smart TVs, so the best options are a web browser or an Apple product.