Death, Taxes, and Apple TV+ asking you to pay more money for it's streaming service.

Well, in a Bernie Sanders type of way… Apple TV+ is once again asking its poor subscribers to cough up more cash. Tim Apple decided now was the perfect time to hike prices… right after NBC’s Peacock pulled the same move. Because what better time to raise the price 30% than when customers are already sick of every other streamer doing the same thing? It’s Business 101, dude.

So instead of $9.99 a month for the privilege of watching Severance, Ted Lasso, and then canceling two months later because there’s literally nothing else worth watching, Apple TV+ will now cost $12.99. That’s a $3 jump, and the third increase since the service launched back in 2019 at $4.99. (If you’re keeping track, that’s nearly triple in just six years… a growth curve Timmy probably wishes he had for Vision Pro sales.)

Now, I’ll give credit where it’s due: Apple TV+ might be wildly unprofitable (it reportedly loses over $1 billion a year) but at least it’s still ad-free. Which, in the year 2025, is about as rare as finding a wife on Tinder. Apple could’ve gone the Netflix route and dangled a “cheaper” ad-supported tier in front of us, but no, they kept it clean. Respect.

But of course, that leads us to a big problem. Apple TV+ is still the runt of the streaming wars. Analysts say it’ll finish 2025 with around 40 million subs… not terrible until you put it next to Netflix’s 300 million, Disney+ at 150 million, and Amazon’s Prime Video, which half its users don’t even realize they’re paying for.

On top of that, Apple’s library feels like my office bookshelf… a couple things worth cracking open, but most of it’s just dust. Sure, Apple’s got some cool originals that win awards, but nothing that keeps you hooked week after week. When households are cutting back on streaming spend, Apple TV+ is always the first head on the chopping block.

Yes, Severance pulled 27 Emmy nods. Yes, Ted Lasso had its 18-month “believe” moment (“wanker!”). But outside of that? The catalog is thinner than my Wi-Fi when three people in the house hop on Zoom. Apple’s been spending more than $5 billion a year on content, yet analysts say only 17% of its originals actually land. Show me another business that has any chance at success when you’re batting average that bad (other than buying ODTE options on Tesla… I’m halfway joking.)

Still, after all that… Apple isn’t pulling the plug. Don’t act surprised. We all know Apple couldn’t give two sh*ts about profit here… TV+ is about prestige. It’s the sexy showroom accessory to the Apple empire. Win a few Emmys, bankroll some overhyped originals, and suddenly you look like a cultural tastemaker.

One more thought before I go, imagine how much higher Apple’s stock would be if it didn’t have this $1 billion-a-year parasite strapped to its back. Maybe one day I’ll eat those words, but unless they start cranking out a Brad Pitt F1-level blockbuster every quarter, I don’t see it happening.

At the time of publishing this article, Stocks.News holds positions in Apple, Netflix, Amazon, and Disney as mentioned in the article.