How can Apple stop losing £20 million per week ?
๐ 1. Grow the Subscriber Base (and ARPU)
- Expand beyond the Apple ecosystem: Right now, many TV+ subs come from free or discounted bundles with Apple devices. Apple could push harder into non‑Apple households via aggressive marketing and partnerships (e.g., with smart TV makers, ISPs, or mobile carriers).
- Tiered pricing: Introduce an ad‑supported plan at a lower price to attract cost‑sensitive viewers, while keeping a premium ad‑free tier. Netflix’s ad tier has been a major ARPU booster.
- Global expansion: Target high‑growth streaming markets like India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America with localized content and pricing.
๐ฌ 2. Balance Content Spend With Returns
- Smarter budgeting: Apple spends ~$4.5 B/year on originals, but some big‑budget projects (Argylle, $200 M) failed to move the needle. More disciplined greenlighting — focusing on shows with proven audience pull — could cut waste.
- Library depth: Licensing older, popular shows and films could cheaply bulk up the catalog, keeping subscribers engaged between prestige releases.
- Franchise building: Develop recurring IP (like Disney’s Marvel/Star Wars model) to amortize costs over multiple seasons and spin‑offs.
๐ค 3. Leverage Bundling More Strategically
- Apple One upsell: TV+ is already in Apple One, but Apple could make it the must‑have reason to subscribe by adding exclusive cross‑service perks (e.g., early music releases on Apple Music tied to TV+ shows).
- Device tie‑ins: Offer extended TV+ trials with hardware purchases, but convert more of those trial users into paying customers with targeted retention campaigns before the trial ends.
๐ 4. Monetize Beyond Subscriptions
- Merchandising & licensing: Sell merchandise for hit shows (Ted Lasso jerseys, Severance collectibles) and license IP for games or books.
- Live events & sports: Apple’s MLS deal is a start — expanding into other sports or live entertainment could attract new audiences and advertisers.
- International co‑productions: Share production costs with overseas studios while gaining access to their markets.
๐ง 5. Play the Long Game — But With Milestones
Apple’s original plan allowed for $15–20 B in losses over the first decade of TV+ as a “loss leader” to strengthen the Apple ecosystem. That’s still viable — but Tim Cook has reportedly begun demanding tighter oversight and better ROI on content spend.
The path to profitability likely means:
- Doubling paid subscribers to ~100 M+
- Raising ARPU via ads and pricing
- Trimming 10–20% from annual content costs without hurting quality
Bottom line: Apple TV+ can be profitable, but only if it shifts from being a prestige‑only boutique service to a scaled, multi‑tiered platform with smarter spending and diversified revenue streams — all while keeping enough award‑winning content to maintain its brand halo.
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