Coronavirus lockdown: HBO Now, Netflix, and Disney+ are hot, Apple TV+ not so much
People are staying home due to the coronavirus lockdown and streaming services are reaping the benefits, as subscription rates are reportedly skyrocketing. Between March 14 and 16, all Disney, HBO, and Netflix saw way more subscriptions in comparison with the weekend prior, but the sore loser here is none other than Apple's own Apple TV+. Despite analysts' forecasts that predict Apple's own Apple TV+ video on-demand service could have some 95 million subscribers by 2028, the prospect of staying home for weeks or months on end due to the COVID-19 pandemic isn't enough of an incentive to make people subscribe to Apple's streaming service.
Cupertino only saw a modest 10% increase in its subscribers numbers, whereas its direct competitors enjoyed larger swaths of bored and hungry for content viewers. Forbes has it that Disney+ saw a 300% increase in subscriptions, HBO Now a hefty 90%, and Netflix a more modest but still substantial increase of 47% in new sign-ups.
Some of the probable reasons for the lag are the quite limited library of family-friendly movies and TV series that are available on Apple TV+. It simply hasn't enough projects like Game Of Thrones or Stranger Things to bring in swaths of subscribers. The expected long delays with the release or the production of some anticipated movies and shows like The Beastie Boys Story, Foundation, For All Mankind, and The Morning Show are certainly going to hurt as well.
However, it should be noted that Apple TV+ is still in its honeymoon period, granting each new Apple product activation within the past 6 months a free year of the service. Thus, it's hard to determine if interest for the service is dwindling or just about any person willing to shell out $4.99 a month for the service is already enjoying it for free.
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