Apple Executive Explains Apple TV Rebrand and Discusses Subscriber Growth

Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, recently discussed the company’s decision to rebrand its streaming service from Apple TV+ to simply Apple TV. According to Cue, the change was made to align the brand with how users already referred to it, noting that ‘everyone called it Apple TV’ anyway. The ‘+’ symbol had initially been used to distinguish premium versions of Apple’s services, such as iCloud+ and News+, where there are free and paid tiers. However, Cue acknowledged that not all paid Apple services follow this pattern, referencing Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade as examples.

The rebrand has caused some confusion, since Apple TV is also the name of the company’s streaming hardware and app. Cue addressed this concern, clarifying that the hardware product is specifically named ‘Apple TV 4K’, and the app’s name remains consistent across platforms, which he believes will prevent user confusion.

Launched in 2019, the Apple TV streaming service began with eight original series, including The Morning Show and For All Mankind. Cue also touched on the service’s performance and hinted at its subscriber count. While Apple has not officially disclosed its numbers, Cue stated they are ‘significantly more’ than the 40–45 million reported by some outlets. He emphasized that growth takes time, especially after production delays and the industry’s prolonged strikes, but said Apple is pleased with the quality and progress of its content lineup.