Entertainment+: Apple And Other Giants Transforming The Sector

Ten years ago, if you wanted to watch a blockbuster movie or play the latest gaming title, you’d need to head to the theatre or buy a new console. Now, every title is ready to watch and play at the touch of a button, on every device you own. This week, we delve deeper into entertainment overload, and explore how Apple and others are transforming the industry…

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Where Netflix and Amazon Prime must work hard to persuade consumers to download their app and part with their cash, Apple has the benefit of baking its upcoming entertainment products directly into its ecosystems, as it’s been doing with Apple TV ahead of the launch of Apple TV+. Consumers can access content from their iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and in some cases HomePod, creating a unified ecosystem where content is at your fingertips.

And perhaps that is why people are taking Apple’s new ventures into streaming and gaming seriously. Earlier in the year, Apple announced that there are now more than 1.4 billion active iOS, macOS, watchOS and iPadOS devices being used by consumers around the world, and although a large percentage of those users may never subscribe to Apple’s new entertainment services, Apple is on to a winner if even just a small percentage of them do. Indeed, despite the lukewarm reception from Apple News+, the company’s premium news subscription service, Apple Music has performed well around the world and now outpaces its nearest rival Spotify in the United States - and in several other markets, too. Apple reportedly has more than 28 million paid subscribers, while Spotify has 26 million paying customers in the United States, though Spotify’s free tier means that the streaming company is still more popular overall. The secret to Apple’s success? Being able to bake in Apple Music into the Music app, which has in just under five years encouraged millions to hand Apple $9.99 for unlimited music.