Apple has a unique advantage with Apple TV+ in that it has more than a billion smartphone users who have the new Apple TV+ app installed.
As it did with Apple Music, the company will no doubt partake in an aggressive marketing strategy to encourage as many sign-ups to its free trial and discounted subscription package as possible, creating an overnight success.
According to a Morgan Stanley analyst, Apple TV+ could be a $9 billion business by 2025, with an expected 136 million subscribers by the end of 2025, assuming that just one in every 10 users subscribe for the service.
That’s an ambitious target, but certainly not impossible.
However, to reach such heights, the company will have to face stiff competition.
Of course, we’re entering new times where consumers no longer pay for expensive TV packages, with millions ‘cable cutting’ and subscribing to Netflix and Hulu instead.
But with so much competition not only from Apple but from Disney and AT&T, subscribing to all of your favorite services will soon be as expensive if not more expensive than a traditional TV cable plan.
Disney+, which launched earlier this month, costs just $6.99 per month, which is affordable for everything it will offer, especially considering it’s the “most wanted” amongst consumers.
Offering subscribers access to the entire vault of Disney content, live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian, a slew of Marvel series, and tonnes of original movies and series based off of famous IPs, the service will do well, but Disney’s still taking precautions.
Bob Iger stepped down from the Apple board, whilst Disney has reportedly banned Netflix adverts from its television networks such as ABC to quieten the competition.
AT&T, on the other hand, is also fighting dirty, with COO John Stankey confirming the giant will give away its upcoming HBO Max streaming service to existing customers for free.
That means HBO Max will have more than 10 million subscribers when it launches in the spring, encouraging others to flock to AT&T and sweetening existing customers into paying for a subscription when the promotion eventually ends.
Verizon, on the other hand, is offering subscribers a year’s free Disney+, in response to T-Mobile offering customers free Netflix.
It’s impossible to predict what the streaming war will look like in a year’s time; we may even see some eyebrow-raising acquisitions just around the corner.
But the truth is, that’s great news for consumers – it means access to higher-quality content free from advertising from some of our favorite stars.
Where do you stand on the streaming battleground? Which is your favorite service? Let us know on social media.