Apple loses $1,000,000,000 every year on one of its 'best services'
With Apple being the biggest tech company in the world in 2025, and boasting an impressive $3.62 trillion, it might be hard to imagine it losing money.
Founded all the way back in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has soared over the years as one of the 'Big Five', and even took the title as the first publicly traded US company to be valued at over $1 trillion in 2018.
Expanding from the early days of building computers in Steve Jobs' garage, Apple has since branched out into watches, laptops, phones, music, payments, and more.
One of its newest innovations has been Apple TV+.
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Even though Disney+ and Netflix fight it out to be the 'king' of streaming services, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Paramount+, and all the rest are coming for the crown. Sadly, Apple TV+ doesn't look like it's much of a threat in 2025, with Reuters claiming it's losing Apple over $1 billion a year.
Despite Apple TV+'s subscriber count growing by to 45 million in 2024, that doesn't take the sting out of supposed $1 billion loss.
It comes as Apple has reportedly spend over $5 billion a year on content since it launched in 2019. Although Apple CEO Tim Cook apparently slashed that to just $500 million in efforts to cut costs in 2024, Apple TV+ could be in trouble.
Apple didn't immediately respond to Reuters, although Netflix's 301.63 million subscribers, Disney+'s 124.6 million, and Warner Bros Discovery's 116.9 million dwarf Apple TV+.
It's a sad state of affairs considering the streaming service boasts the likes of Severance, Ted Lasso, and Silo. In a January earnings call, Cook reiterated how Apple TV+ productions have earned over 2,500 nominations and 538 wins, including the likes of a Writers Guild of America Awards for Best Drama Series (Severance) and a Golden Globe for Jason Sudeikis as Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (Ted Lasso).
Simply put, the numbers just don't seem to be adding up. Apple TV+ is included as a Comcast bundle that includes Peacock and Netflix at $15 per month, while it's also available on its own to US consumers at $9.99.
We're sure many of you have made the most of the free Apple TV+ trial when getting a new iPhone, but unfortunately, that isn't translating into permanent memberships.
Over on Reddit, others were dismayed about the state of Apple TV+, with some calling it the 'best' service around - especially in the sci-fi genre.
One Apple TV+ supporter wrote: "It's one of the best services out there. Quality output."
Another spotted a potential problem as they added: "They don't promote the sh*t. They have some of the best streaming content out there. But, you don't hear people talk about it."
A third concluded: "I think Apple is taking the Amazon approach here. Lose money until we don't. Services from smaller companies can't run at a loss. But they're rich enough that they can just run at a loss until the competition is gone."
While Ted Lasso has just been renewed for season 4 and there's plenty of chatter about Severance season 3, it remains to be seen whether Apple TV+ can continue to hold its own against the other screen juggernauts.