When Apple TV+ launched, the Tame Apple Press touted it as a cure for cancer and that it would sweep the floor with other streaming services. The fact that Apple had no experience running a TV channel was nothing because Apple was Apple, and the others smelt of Wii.
It turns out that the faith was entirely misplaced, and as the losses increase, Apple is trying to find a way to make more money from the giant turkey it has created.
According to a new Bloomberg report, Apple plans to license some of its Apple TV+ content to competing services to save money and expand its reach.
Jobs Mob has hired an executive to license its original productions to other companies, a strategy designed to increase sales from its film business and improve the visibility of its content.
Apple is focused on licensing its movies to other companies, such as foreign TV networks and stores, where viewers can rent or buy them, according to a person familiar with the plans. The company isn't planning to license its original TV shows to third parties, yet.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and services boss Eddy Cue have pushed the team overseeing Apple TV+ to lower costs, improve the financial performance of the service and deliver more hits.
The company has spent billions of dollars on original films and TV shows yet few of its titles have attracted a large audience and its streaming service doesn't make money.
Apple has already started selling TV+ via Amazon in a bid to increase the service's audience. Licensing to third parties will generate additional revenue and introduce Apple movies to people who don't yet pay for TV+.
Since Apple TV+ launched in 2019, Apple has spent over $20 billion to build a library of original content. Yet, the streaming service only garnered 0.3 per cent of US screen viewing time in June 2024, according to Nielsen.
Apple TV+ generates less viewing in one month than Netflix a day and is the smallest mainstream streaming service.