Friday, March 29

Apple Will Extend Free Apple TV+ Trials Through February

KEY POINTS

  • Apple will extend some Apple TELEVISION+ subscriptions on a free 1-year trial through February, the business verified to CNBC on Thursday.
  • When Apple TV+ released last fall, Apple bundled a free one-year membership with the purchase of an Apple product, and the first of those trial subscriptions were previously going to end at the start of November.
  • Someone who signed up for a free year of Apple TELEVISION+ on the 25th of January, for example, will have to gain access to and won’t be billed up until February 25.

Apple will extend some Apple TELEVISION+ memberships on a totally free 1-year trial through February, the company verified to CNBC on Thursday.

When Apple TELEVISION+ introduced last fall, Apple bundled a complimentary one-year subscription with the purchase of an Apple product, right away boosting the variety of individuals who might watch the streaming service.

The first of those trial subscriptions were formerly going to end at the start of November, suggesting that people on the 1-year trial who had not canceled were going to be charged $4.99 monthly for the streaming service.

Now, customers whose trials started last November, December, or January will be extended through February. This suggests that somebody who purchased an iPhone on November 1 and activated Apple TV+ on the very same day will have access to the service through February 1, when billing begins.

Someone who registered on the 25th of January, for example, will have access to Apple TV+ and won’t be billed up until February 25.

Users who pay for the service on a month-to-month basis– they are not on a hardware-linked trial– will receive credits through February also, Apple stated. The extension is automated and users don’t have to ask for it.

Apple has not exposed the number of Apple TELEVISION+ subscribers. The service has fewer TELEVISION shows and motion pictures than competitors such as Disney+, which surpassed 60 million subscribers in August after releasing last November. Netflix has more than 190 million subscribers worldwide, it started in July. However, unlike those services, Apple TELEVISION+ does not have a back catalog of reruns.

While early reviews for Apple TV+ were mixed, some titles have been seriously applauded, with “The Morning Show,” a launch title, getting several Emmy elections, and winning one.

Apple TELEVISION+ belongs to Apple’s services company, which is an increasing focus of financiers and represented 22% of the company’s sales in the quarter ending in June. Last month, Apple revealed several bundles called Apple One, which connect Apple TELEVISION+ to other paid subscriptions from Apple such as Apple Music, iCloud storage, and gaming service Apple Arcade.