Apple TV + content is sparse. This statement, today I do not think there is anyone who can refute it. However Apple is not worried about it, he knows that this is a long-distance race and that he has a good chance of winning it thanks to the probable strategy of the company to gain more subscribers and money at the same time.
Right now, without official data, I don't think there are many users who are paying the streaming service month by month, thanks to a one-year free offer for the purchase of a promoted Apple device. This may be the company's strategy for Apple TV + to take the lead in terms of new subscribers.
The strategy goes through how to get more subscribers.
According to a survey conducted in the US prior to the launch of Apple TV +, 38% of people knew what this new service consisted of. Figures above average, according to the company in charge of carrying out the study.
If we add to this that all those who bought a new Apple device or renewed their previous one, immediately accessed Apple TV + at no cost for a year, it has made the estimate of users right now is about 33.6 million. High figures to only have been on the market for a few months.
Netflix more than 150 million users; Amazon Prime 42,2 and Disney + 23,2. At this rate, it expect Apple TV + to hit 40 million before the end of this year 2020.
But there is a very clear difference between the service of the apple company and the rest (except with Amazon Prime Video). Most of its users do not pay the subscription fee month after month. They have achieved it by purchasing a promoted product. This may be the key for Apple TV + to be positions in the first place of this ranking.
If Apple gets you to renew its devices sooner, Apple TV + will take the lead in streaming services.
If the Californian company is able to convince users to renew their devices sooner than they do now and keep giving away these subscriptions, the number of affiliates will grow enormously. Not so much the economic gains of the company, but you can afford it, at least for the first few years. Apple TV + will be financed with part of the proceeds of the early renovations of for example the iPhone, Mac or iPad.
This strategy helped Amazon to get by keeping and increasing affiliates on its online buying and selling page. It does not just sell you access to products quickly, but also you have other associated services such as Amazon Prime Video, Photos in the cloud ... etc for a higher price (almost double) than a couple of years ago.
If Apple can convince buyers that buying a new iPhone every year saves the subscription to Apple TV +, it will be able to cover the costs of the platform. At least until the content of it is very broad, Netflix style and that will be when it will begin not to give away subscriptions to Apple TV + and everything will return to how it was six months ago, but with a number of affiliates "hooked" and used to its multimedia platform.
Apple TV + program content is important, but until you get a good number of programs that are of sufficient quality, what matters is the number of subscribers. The number of potential users who in the future will be hooked on your series and do not mind paying what the service costs per month. Incidentally, it is cheaper than Netflix.
We will have to wait for a few days, when Apple released the economic figures. We do not know if Apple TV + will have its own section. It would be good if it were so to be able to see if that estimate of 33 million long users is correct. Even how many of those subscribers pay month by month and we can get a closer idea of the health of this Apple division.