Apple TV+ extends its trial subscription until February 2021

Luca Fontana

9.10.2020

Translation: machine translated

Apple is extending the trial year for Apple TV+, which was due to end in November, by three months. The reason is said to be the spectre of a drop in subscriptions. Explanations.

Good news: Apple is extending the free trial year for Apple TV+ that began last year by three months. At least that's what TechCrunch. While Apple has yet to make an official announcement, voices have been raised in recent hours on reliable tech portals such as The Verge and Android Authority.

As a reminder, the trial year was offered for free to anyone who bought a device when the new iPhone 11 and iPad launched in autumn 2019 and started the trial year no later than 31 January 2020.

While this may seem like a generous gesture, it mainly reflects Apple's fear of seeing its subscriber numbers dwindle.

Extension of the free Apple TV+ period. Who benefits?

Let's get back to Apple's offer. What does this three-month trial year extension mean in concrete terms?

• Have you started your free year by purchasing an Apple product when Apple TV+ launches on 1 November 2019? Your free year has been extended to 1 February 2021.
• Started your free year by purchasing an Apple product after November 1, 2019, but before January 31, 2020? Your free year is extended by three months.

Apple reportedly explained to TechCrunch that it wanted to extend the trial year to soften a bit the upcoming winter months, which are shaping up to be harsh (pandemic obliges). The American company is said to be determined not to let its subscribers down and to provide them with quality content.

I may be cynical, but.... to others.

Subscribers who pay for their subscriptions might feel ripped off, but no fear: Apple has every intention of rewarding them for their loyalty. In practical terms, they too will benefit from the three-month extension to the probationary year.

• Paying subscribers will not have to pay for their subscription between November 2020 and January 2021.

As before, anyone who buys a new Apple product also gets a free year of Apple TV+. That's still guaranteed, although there won't be a three-month extension.

The fear of a drop in subscriptions

The Californian firm has never been known to release official figures for Apple TV+. Only one figure is known today:

33.6 million.

This is the number of current subscribers. Released in January 2020, it hasn't really changed since. Officially, at least. Because Apple has been completely silent on the subject for months.

It's also unclear how many of these 33.6 million subscribers actually pay for their subscription. Most of them, like me, are probably part of the group of free year freeloaders. At least that's what Apple's silence suggests. But the next question is even more important than the number of paying subscribers:

how many subscribers benefiting from the free year will choose to keep their subscription?

I tried to answer this last May. My guess: not many. In any case, too few to be able to consider Apple TV+ an effective marketing tool. Apple analysts came to similar conclusions, as confirmed by a change of course announced in May. Contrary to expectations, Apple no longer wants to exclusively offer its own productions on Apple TV+, but also intends to obtain licences from third-party suppliers.

Such as Sony, and its feature film "Greyhound".

Apple is therefore moving closer to the way Netflix and Prime Video operate. These two services have long offered content under exclusive licence from third parties. These are then presented as "original productions" in the same way as genuine in-house productions. This enables the two companies to expand their range of films and series. And the bigger the offering, the more competitive the streaming service.

By way of comparison: according to streaming search engine Justwatch, Apple TV+ currently offers 32 series, three films and five documentaries. Launched around the same time, Disney+ offers 350 series and 500 films. Netflix has around 1,500 series and 2,870 films on the clock.

Apple is up against the wall.

Quality over quantity

Apple's problem isn't the quality of its content; it's actually its strength. And this despite initially harsh criticism. Hated by critics but loved by fans, the post-apocalyptic series "See" starring Jason Momoa is a good example.

"The Morning Show", starring Jennifer Aniston, suffered a similar fate: At the Emmy Awards ceremony for best series, the drama was nominated seven times and won the "Best Supporting Actor" category, despite fierce reviews it initially received.

More recent series like ["Defending Jacob"] (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/defending_jacob) starring Chris Evans and the sports comedy series ["Ted Lasso"] (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/ted_lasso) have won over both critics and audiences. And everyone is eagerly awaiting "Foundation", an ambitious sci-fi series scheduled for 2021.

Since then, series and film critics have seemed less virulent towards Apple.

But the main problem remains, and is even encouraged

While Disney+ would love to be able to compete with Apple TV+ in terms of quality, Apple isn't exactly up to scratch in terms of quantity. Its offering isn't rich enough, too insignificant in the face of the large number of streaming services that are producing more and more.

"More is really more", as Roger Federer said in 2014.

To keep its number of active subscribers at 33.6 million at least until next February, Apple seems to have come up with no better idea than to automatically renew each subscription for a further three months, free of charge.

But there's a but: what about the super subscription Apple One that will be launched this autumn? It will give subscribers Apple Music, Apple Arcade, 50GB of iCloud storage and Apple TV+ for CHF18.50 a month.

It's enviable. The trial year for most current Apple TV+ subscribers will also end this autumn. What timing.

Without wanting to play marketing whiz kid, something tells me that the best time to transfer current Apple TV+ subscribers to the Apple One system would be now. For example, they could pay the 6 francs for Apple TV+ during the first three months of Apple One, which is what Apple is doing at the moment anyway. Why not start with a reduced subscription to Apple One? Once the three free months are up, many people would probably choose to continue paying for their subscription, and therefore Apple TV+.

Problem solved.

But as things stand, Apple TV+ don't even seem to be aware that Apple One exists. Instead of solving their impending subscriber drain, this actively encourages it. Since August 2020, announcements of Apple TV+ programming have been less than stellar, if not downright shabby. No new series is planned before the end of the year, no films, no documentaries. Sad.

And for the many people who don't pay for their subscription, this would be a good reason to cancel it if it weren't for the automatic free extension.

What's next for Apple TV+?

Seasons 2 of "See" and "For All Mankind" are supposed to be in production for some time, but their release dates have yet to be revealed. The second season of "Dickinson" will be released on 8 January 2021. A third season is reportedly already in production, as well as a second season of "Ted Lasso".

What's next?

For the moment, nothing. Apart from "Foundation" which will be released "soon" in 2021. Apple may be planning something that can't be announced until February 2021. Until then, subscribers won't be forced to jump ship. Who knows? Maybe that's the aim of Apple's tactics. Or maybe Apple doesn't want to be the only streaming service to have lost subscribers at the end of a year marked by containment.

Either way, Apple TV+ needs to expand urgently. Otherwise, the loss of subscribers will only be delayed. <p

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.» more

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