Apple reportedly met with the U.K.’s TV ratings organization Barb Audiences in what’s being taken as a sign that the company’s streaming service is prepping an ad-supported subscription plan.
Apple TV+ is the only one of the large streaming services that lacks such a pricing tier.
Hints of an Apple TV+ ad-supported pricing tier
Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Hulu and other streamers offer subscriptions at reduced prices if the viewer is willing to watch commercials during shows and films. It’s a way to bring in consumers looking for a low-cost option, with the streaming service making up the revenue from advertisers.
Apple TV+ has mostly resisted, but not completely: Its Friday Night Baseball series has adverts. And there have been a few signs the company might be working on a broad ad-supported pricing plan. Apple supposedly met with media agencies about adding adverts to its shows in late 2022
A Saturday report from The Telegraph lends credence to the possibility of ads on Apple TV+.
“Apple has held talks with the UK’s TV ratings body in the latest sign that the tech giant is planning to introduce adverts on its streaming service,” the paper reported.
Apple met with Barb, the United Kingdom’s equivalent (approximately) of the U.S.’s Nielsen service. Barb already tracks the number of viewers watching Apple TV+ series, and would need to be ready to track adverts, too, according to The Telegraph.
Whether anything will come of this remains anyone’s guess. Just because other streaming services have an advertising-supported plan doesn’t mean Apple must. Consider the streaming music market: Apple’s streaming music archrival Spotify has had a free, ad-supported tier for years and there’s no Apple Music equivalent.
