For as long as it has existed as a streaming service, Apple TV+ has been the most spare of the major company streaming offerings. That happened because, unlike Netflix, which licenses shows and movies from other studios, or Disney, which has a backlog of pre-streaming content of its own, Apple took neither approach. Instead, the only things available to stream on Apple TV+ are things that were created entirely by Apple.
Apple briefly changed this approach when it temporarily licensed some titles to its service, but those titles were always licensed for a limited window. Now, though, Bloomberg is reporting that Apple may be back in the business of licensing content. The experiment it engaged in earlier this year has encouraged it to look at licensing more content moving forward.
While we don’t yet know which titles might come to the service as part of this new push, this new report suggests that Apple’s streaming service could be undergoing a change in strategy to build up a more robust offering that can compete with services like Netflix.
In spite of its success with awards bodies, Nielsen reports suggest that Apple TV+ viewership accounts for less than 1% of all household TV watching in the United States.
Apple can afford to have a more sparse offering in part because the company does not really need Apple TV+ to make money. The service is meant to be an add-on, and Apple’s overall valuation means that the company could simply buy an entire studio if it wanted its streaming service to be more competitive. While that could happen eventually, it seems, at least for now, like Apple is simply looking to do a little more licensing.
