Apple TV+ now reaches 7% of UK homes, just like the US
Rosalind Eleazar attends the Apple TV+ BAFTA TV Brunch celebrating excellence in global storytelling and creativity at 180 House on 13 May 2023 in London, England.
While perhaps not at the same scale as larger services, Apple TV+ is picking up a loyal audience. Its viewers are sticking with it.
Flicking the switch
That’s the main take away from the latest quarterly BARB survey. This shows that consumers in the UK are cutting back on streaming services, but Apple is growing.
The data shows 67.4% of households (19.08 million homes) had access to a subscription based VoD service. That’s down 1.7% on the same quarter last year.
What’s interesting is that Apple’s TV+ service gained in the quarter.
The number of UK homes using the service increased 13% on the previous quarter. An impressive 1.69 million UK homes had access to the service in Q4 2024. This grew to a more impressive 1.91 million homes in Q1 2023. That’s around 7% of all UK households. A similar market share to recent data for Apple TV+ adoption in the US, also 7%.
Small numbers, big meaning
The numbers are of course small in comparison to Netflix, which reaches 16.96 million UK homes. Or Amazon Prime which hits 12.9 million or Disney+, which is in 7.14 million households. But all three of the big streaming services saw decline, even while Apple didn’t.
We’re a long way from Apple becoming a full flight alternative to any of those services. All the same, the loyalty it has generated gives it a solid bulwark in the streaming industry.
That bulwark also benefits as its focus on high quality story telling reaps its own rewards. You can almost hear the collective sigh of shared pain as millions of Ted Lasso fans weep at the end of that great TV series.
Beyond the bridge
But as Apple beefs up its content with new shows, new sports. And as it possibly preps new inventions around AR and TV content, it seems plausible to think its focus on great stories will give it a strong business ahead.
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