# Apple TV+
**Apple TV+** is Apple's video streaming subscription service of original shows, movies, and documentaries, launched on November 1, 2019 and renamed simply **Apple TV** in October 2025. It opened in over 100 countries and regions at $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial, available on the Apple TV app and at tv.apple.com[1](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-tv-launches-november-1-featuring-originals-from-the-worlds-greatest-storytellers/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Launch | November 1, 2019, in over 100 countries and regions[1](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-tv-launches-november-1-featuring-originals-from-the-worlds-greatest-storytellers/) |
| Launch price | $4.99 per month (US) with a seven-day free trial[1](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-tv-launches-november-1-featuring-originals-from-the-worlds-greatest-storytellers/) |
| Price history | $6.99/month in late 2023[2](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/FeatureArticles-Nov2023.pdf); $9.99 in January 2025[3](https://apnews.com/article/c7c0453713aa4a7c314550ccf9281274); $12.99 at the October 2025 rebrand[4](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/APPLE-VULTURE.pdf) |
| Catalog model | Original Apple content only; the subscription does not include third-party branded services or rental and purchase content in the Apple TV app[5](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/tvapp/atvb438d254c/1.0/web/1.0) |
| Live sports | Friday Night Baseball, every Major League Soccer match, and, from March 2026, every Formula 1 race exclusively in the United States under a five-year agreement[6](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/2025-marked-a-record-breaking-year-for-apple-services/) |
| Awards | 672 award wins and 3,085 nominations to date[6](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/2025-marked-a-record-breaking-year-for-apple-services/) |
| Current name | Apple TV, since October 2025[7](https://www.macobserver.com/news/apple-drops-the-and-rebrands-its-streaming-service-as-apple-tv/) |
## Launch and original strategy
Apple announced the service in March 2019, when [Tim Cook](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-cook) said Apple TV+ would launch in over 100 countries and that the company had signed major talent including [Oprah Winfrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/oprah-winfrey), J.J. Abrams, [Reese Witherspoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/reese-witherspoon), and Steven Spielberg to make shows and films[8](https://time.com/5558226/apple-streaming-service-tv-shows/). At the September 2019 announcement Apple called it the first all-original video subscription service, opening with "The Morning Show," "Dickinson," "See," "For All Mankind," and the documentary film "The Elephant Queen." At launch, most series premiered with three episodes followed by one new episode each week, and content was subtitled or dubbed in nearly 40 languages with audio descriptions in eight[1](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-tv-launches-november-1-featuring-originals-from-the-worlds-greatest-storytellers/).
Unlike competitors that drew on large back catalogs built by their owners over decades, the service began with a modest library of exclusive originals from renowned creators[9](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/01/apple-tv-launched-five-years-ago-today/). Reviewers describe the result as a small but strong library: "Severance," "The Morning Show," "Ted Lasso," "Slow Horses," and "The Studio" have made it a destination for prestige television, but there are relatively few movies and older shows, so it works better as a complement to a larger service than as a viewer's only subscription[10](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/apple-tv/apple-tv-report-card-2026-do-prestige-tv-shows-make-up-for-a-tiny-library). "Ted Lasso," which premiered in 2020, was for a time the main reason people signed up for the then-new service[11](https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/the-50-moments-that-defined-apple).
## Naming: the service, the app, and the box
The name long caused confusion because Apple applies it to three distinct things: the physical streaming box, the Apple TV app for navigating content and buying or renting titles, and the subscription service[4](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/APPLE-VULTURE.pdf). After the October 2025 rebrand dropped the "Plus," all three share the identical name, so "F1 The Movie" could be both available now on Apple TV (the digital video store) and coming soon to Apple TV (the subscription)[4](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/APPLE-VULTURE.pdf).
**The dropped Plus.** Apple announced in a press release that "Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity"[12](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/apple-tv-plus/apple-tv-is-no-more-and-i-dont-understand-why-its-hbo-max-all-over-again). Apple's senior vice president of Services, Eddy Cue, explained the change by pointing to Apple's naming history for paid tiers: iCloud+ and News+ use "Plus" to distinguish a paid tier from a related free service, while the TV subscription had matured from launch into a service people recognize without extra hints[13](https://www.macobserver.com/news/eddy-cue-explains-why-apple-tv-no-longer-needs-the-plus/).
## Pricing and subscription details
The price has risen repeatedly: $4.99 at launch[1](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-tv-launches-november-1-featuring-originals-from-the-worlds-greatest-storytellers/), $6.99 in late 2023[2](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/FeatureArticles-Nov2023.pdf), $9.99 by January 2025[3](https://apnews.com/article/c7c0453713aa4a7c314550ccf9281274), and $12.99 around the October 2025 rebrand[4](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/APPLE-VULTURE.pdf).
The subscription sits inside the broader Apple TV app, which also hosts third-party channels and the Apple TV Store for rentals and purchases; the Apple TV subscription itself covers only Apple's originals and its live sports rights[5](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/tvapp/atvb438d254c/1.0/web/1.0). From the start, up to six family members could share one subscription through Family Sharing[1](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-tv-launches-november-1-featuring-originals-from-the-worlds-greatest-storytellers/). In January 2025 the service ran a two-day free weekend promotion to draw viewers into the catalog, with the US price then at $9.99 a month[3](https://apnews.com/article/c7c0453713aa4a7c314550ccf9281274). Eddy Cue has stated Apple has no plans to introduce advertising to the service[14](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/apple-tv-plus/is-apple-tv-still-good-value-exec-confirms-itll-remain-ad-free-for-now-but-the-price-is-creeping-up), though industry speculation about an ad-based tier followed the rebrand[12](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/apple-tv-plus/apple-tv-is-no-more-and-i-dont-understand-why-its-hbo-max-all-over-again).
## Sports rights
Live sports have grown into a major part of the offer. "Friday Night Baseball" returned for its fifth season in March 2026[15](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/topics/apple-tv-plus/), and all [Major League Soccer](https://www.edgepedia.org/major-league-soccer) matches stream for subscribers at no additional cost[6](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/2025-marked-a-record-breaking-year-for-apple-services/). Beginning in March 2026, a new five-year agreement brings every Formula 1 race exclusively to Apple TV in the United States, following the global success of "F1 The Movie"[6](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/2025-marked-a-record-breaking-year-for-apple-services/).
## Performance and market position
Apple reported a record 2025: total viewing hours in December 2025 rose 36 percent year over year, setting a monthly engagement record, driven by audience growth in Europe and Latin America and the streaming debuts of "F1," "Pluribus," and "[The Family Plan 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-family-plan-2)"[6](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/2025-marked-a-record-breaking-year-for-apple-services/). At the 2025 [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards), "The Studio" became the most Emmy-winning freshman comedy ever, "Severance" was the most-awarded drama, and "Slow Horses" won a Best Directing honor; to date the service counts 672 award wins and 3,085 nominations[6](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/2025-marked-a-record-breaking-year-for-apple-services/).
In market terms, a Q2 2024 estimate placed Apple TV+ and [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) at 9 percent each of the US video streaming market, behind Netflix and [Amazon Prime](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-prime) at 22 percent each, [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) at 14 percent, Disney+ at 11 percent, and Hulu at 10 percent[16](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-benefit-cost-analysis/article/is-communicationscompany-ownership-of-video-content-a-threat-to-competition/F905229CF94AF47D7628A3F92AA58805). At the end of 2019, Apple had notably declined to release subscription numbers for the new service, which launched to mixed reviews[17](https://www.axios.com/2020/01/08/apple-says-its-software-business-is-booming).
## References
1. [Apple TV+ launches November 1, featuring originals from the world's greatest storytellers, Apple Newsroom (September 10, 2019)](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-tv-launches-november-1-featuring-originals-from-the-worlds-greatest-storytellers/)
2. [Subscription Cos feature article, November 2023](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/FeatureArticles-Nov2023.pdf)
3. [Why Apple TV+ is offering a free weekend of binge-watching, AP News (January 2025)](https://apnews.com/article/c7c0453713aa4a7c314550ccf9281274)
4. [Vulture on the Apple TV rebrand, PDF via Movistar Plus (October 2025)](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/APPLE-VULTURE.pdf)
5. [Apple TV app at a glance, Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/tvapp/atvb438d254c/1.0/web/1.0)
6. [2025 marked a record-breaking year for Apple services, Apple Newsroom (January 12, 2026)](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/2025-marked-a-record-breaking-year-for-apple-services/)
7. [Apple drops the "+" and rebrands its streaming service as Apple TV, Mac Observer (October 2025)](https://www.macobserver.com/news/apple-drops-the-and-rebrands-its-streaming-service-as-apple-tv/)
8. [Here Are All the TV Shows Coming to Apple's Streaming Service, TIME (March 2019)](https://time.com/5558226/apple-streaming-service-tv-shows/)
9. [Apple TV+ Launched Five Years Ago Today, MacRumors (November 2024)](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/01/apple-tv-launched-five-years-ago-today/)
10. [Apple TV Report Card 2026: Do prestige TV shows make up for a tiny library?, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/apple-tv/apple-tv-report-card-2026-do-prestige-tv-shows-make-up-for-a-tiny-library)
11. [Apple at 50: The 51 best (and worst) moments in Apple's history, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/the-50-moments-that-defined-apple)
12. [Apple TV+ is no more and I don't understand why, TechRadar (October 2025)](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/apple-tv-plus/apple-tv-is-no-more-and-i-dont-understand-why-its-hbo-max-all-over-again)
13. [Eddy Cue explains why Apple TV no longer needs the "Plus", Mac Observer](https://www.macobserver.com/news/eddy-cue-explains-why-apple-tv-no-longer-needs-the-plus/)
14. [Is Apple TV still good value? Exec confirms it'll remain ad-free (for now), TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/apple-tv-plus/is-apple-tv-still-good-value-exec-confirms-itll-remain-ad-free-for-now-but-the-price-is-creeping-up)
15. [Apple TV News, Apple Newsroom topics page](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/topics/apple-tv-plus/)
16. [Is Communications-Company Ownership of Video Content a Threat to Competition?, Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, Cambridge Core](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-benefit-cost-analysis/article/is-communicationscompany-ownership-of-video-content-a-threat-to-competition/F905229CF94AF47D7628A3F92AA58805)
17. [Apple says its software business is booming, Axios (January 2020)](https://www.axios.com/2020/01/08/apple-says-its-software-business-is-booming)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcast networks and channel brands › Cable and satellite television networks › Satellite and pay-TV platforms and channel carriage*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license