Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      World Bank set to back South Africa’s big energy grid roll-out

      20 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Sita hits back at critics, promises faster, automated procurement

      20 June 2025

      The transatlantic race to create the first television

      20 June 2025

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Broadcasting and Media » Apple buys older shows for TV+, stepping up fight with Netflix

    Apple buys older shows for TV+, stepping up fight with Netflix

    By Agency Staff19 May 2020
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Apple is acquiring older movies and shows for its TV+ streaming service, aiming to build a back catalogue of content that can better stack up against the huge libraries available on Netflix, Hulu and Disney+.

    The company’s video programming executives have taken pitches from Hollywood studios about licensing older content for TV+ and have bought some shows and movies, according to people familiar with the matter.

    The move represents a subtle strategy shift for Apple TV+, which launched in November with a line-up of original programmes. The company plans to keep TV+ focused on original shows, and hasn’t yet acquired any huge franchises or blockbusters for its back catalogue, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.

    A service like Netflix has thousands of titles to choose from. Compare that to Apple TV+, which lists fewer than 30 original movies and shows on its website

    Still, it’s an acknowledgment that successful streaming services typically have a mix of old and new shows. That’s been the formula for Netflix, Disney’s Hulu and Disney+, and Amazon.com’s Prime Video.

    A service like Netflix has thousands of titles to choose from. Compare that to Apple TV+, which lists fewer than 30 original movies and shows on its website. Its most notable programmes include The Morning Show, starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, and Defending Jacob, featuring Chris Evans.

    But TV+ is cheaper than most of its rivals. It costs US$4.99/month (R84.99/month in South Africa) and it’s free for one year for people who buy Apple devices.

    Steered clear

    Until recently, Apple has steered clear of buying rights to old shows like Seinfeld, which went to Netflix, or Friends, which will be on HBO Max. Instead of acquiring or building its own library, Apple tried to rely on media partners. The company’s latest TV app, launched last year, has built-in subscription capabilities for services like Starz, Showtime and HBO.

    But this approach has yielded mixed results. Though about 10 million people had signed up for TV+ by February, only about half that number actively used the service, according to the people familiar with the matter.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook

    Those numbers pale in comparison to Disney+, which signed up more than 10 million users within a day of its US launch, and has since surpassed 50 million subscribers. Netflix added almost 16 million customers in the first quarter of 2020 alone.

    Still, Apple TV+ has helped grow the company’s services segment, which last quarter made the Cupertino, California-based technology giant $13.3-billion — or about 23% of its revenue. Apple hasn’t said how much money TV+ has generated or how many subscribers it has, but CEO Tim Cook told Bloomberg Television in April that people staying at home due to the Covid-19 outbreak boosted use of the service.

    “The pandemic cut both ways,” he said.  — Reported by Lucas Shaw and Mark Gurman, (c) 2020 Bloomberg LP



    Amazon Apple Apple TV Disney HBO Hulu Netflix top
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleNedbank unveils e-commerce ‘super app’ called Avo
    Next Article Backspace: ‘Progress’

    Related Posts

    Stolen phone? Samsung now buys you an hour to lock it down

    18 June 2025

    Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

    17 June 2025

    10 red flags for Apple investors

    13 June 2025
    Company News

    Making IT happen: how Trade Link gears up to enable SA retail strategies

    20 June 2025

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.