Apple TV+ drops the plus, now just Apple TV

The company behind phones and earpods and whatnot quietly announced the name change in a press release about the movie F1: The Movie heading to their platform. It is a real rebrand and not merely someone forgetting to hit SHIFT equals sign.

For all the shenanigans, Apple TV has steadily provided some of the best and most acclaimed TV series in the past six years since launch. Severance, Ted Lasso, Silo, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and the upcoming Pluribus from Vince Gilligan to name but a few. On the film side of things, Apple has the Oscar-winning CODA and Killers of the Flower Moon. They throw money at their productions and largely let the writers, directors, and producers make what they want to make. And it shows.

To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have earned 620 wins and 2,816 award nominations, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy Ted Lasso and Oscar Best Picture winner CODA. In total, Apple earned 22 wins for the most recent 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Despite the accolades, Apple TV has a tenth the number of subscribers as Netflix and sits at the bottom of the list of the major streamers in that department. If removing the plus is what they think they need to do to bolster their subscriber base, then more power to them. Keep making good stuff and people will flock to it.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.