Apple TV hits 45 million subscribers despite price hikes

Apple services chief Eddy Cue revealed on The Town podcast that the newly rebranded Apple TV streaming service has “significantly more” than 45 million subscribers, exceeding analyst estimates and marking the first time the company has disclosed subscriber figures.
The disclosure comes as Apple TV+ quietly rebranded to simply Apple TV in October 2025, dropping the “plus” from its name while maintaining its ad-free streaming model across more than 100 countries and regions.
Despite subscriber growth, Apple TV has raised prices 160% since launching at $4.99 per month in 2019, with the most recent 30% increase in August 2025 bringing the monthly cost to $12.99, making it more expensive than ad-supported tiers from competitors like Disney+ and Netflix.
Cue acknowledged the challenges of building a subscriber base without a legacy content library, citing production delays from the pandemic and a nine-month writers’ strike that set the service “a little further behind” than planned.
The streaming service reportedly loses over $1 billion annually despite winning 628 awards from 2,819 nominations, including Emmy wins for hit shows like “Severance,” “Ted Lasso,” and “The Studio,” while the service remains significantly smaller than market leaders like Netflix with over 300 million subscribers.

Apple TV Surges Past 45 Million Subscribers Despite Price Hikes

Apple TV has “significantly more” than 45 million subscribers, the company’s services chief revealed this week, marking a major milestone for the tech giant’s streaming service despite three price increases in six years.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, disclosed the subscriber figures during an appearance on The Town podcast, confirming that the newly rebranded Apple TV service has exceeded analyst estimates. The revelation comes as Apple dropped the “plus” from its Apple TV+ branding in a quiet rebrand announced Monday.macdailynews

Growth Amid Steep Price Increases

Apple TV’s subscriber growth has persisted despite aggressive price hikes that have pushed the monthly cost from $4.99 in 2019 to $12.99 today—a 160% increase. The most recent price jump occurred in August, raising the monthly fee by 30% from $9.99.linkedin

“We haven’t said what our numbers are but we’re significantly more than that,” Cue said when asked about the 45 million estimate. Previous industry projections had placed Apple TV just above Peacock’s 41 million subscribers, putting it in sixth or seventh place among major streaming services.macdailynews

The service remains ad-free despite the price increases, distinguishing it from competitors like Disney+ and Netflix that offer cheaper ad-supported tiers.pcmag

Awards Success Drives Content Strategy

Apple TV’s subscriber growth coincides with unprecedented awards recognition. The platform secured 22 Emmy wins in 2025, with “The Studio” becoming the most-winning freshman comedy in Emmy history and “Severance” leading as the year’s most-winning drama. Apple TV received a record 81 Emmy nominations this year, with “Severance” earning 27 nominations as the most-nominated series.apple

“Look, it’s a lot harder than it looks,” Cue acknowledged, citing challenges building a subscriber base with original content and no legacy library. Production delays from the pandemic and writers’ strikes further complicated Apple’s strategy, he noted.gsmarena

Despite the subscriber milestone, Apple TV reportedly loses over $1 billion annually. The service ranks behind market leaders Netflix (301+ million subscribers), Amazon Prime Video (200+ million), Disney+ (125+ million), and Max (116+ million).thewrap