Apple TV is the only major streaming service without an ad-supported tier, but that might change

The team look shocked at something outside in The Studio

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Apple's senior vice president of services has weighed in on the streaming service's name change
His comments point towards some major changes for Apple TV, especially an ad-supported tier
This news comes after the streaming service dropped 'plus' from its name

Apple TV recently dropped the 'plus' from its streaming service's name, confusing fans. I recently suggested that the rebrand could be unnecessary, but a new interview has hinted that there's a reason for this.

Speaking on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Eddy Cue, senior vice president of services at Apple said it was a "great time" for Apple TV's rebrand.

He revealed: “We put the plus in there because we’ve used it in our other services like iCloud+ and [Apple] News+, but we do that when we have a free service and then there’s a paid version."

“We stayed consistent because of it, but we all called it Apple TV, and we said, given where we are today, it’s a great time to do it, so let’s just do it.”

Cue also clarified the confusion surrounding the name and how it already applies to other products in the Apple family.

“Our hardware is called Apple TV 4K for your TV,” he said. “I think that’s fine, and the app is called Apple TV. It’s been called Apple TV on our third-party products as well, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem at all.”

However, this explanation has caused some further confusion. Apple Fitness+ has no free tier, and Apple Music is a paid service that doesn't offer a free tier, and doesn't have a plus on the end of its name, which points to some inconsistencies across the brand.

From my perspective, this rebrand could suggest that more changes are coming to Apple TV, and an ad-supported tier might be on the way off the back of it.

Is Apple TV getting an ad-supported tier?

Apple TV Plus — (Image credit: Future / Apple)

Right now, this is all speculation. We don't know if one of the best streaming services will be getting ads or not, but considering its competitors do, I wouldn't be surprised.

Apple TV is currently the only major streaming service without a cheaper, ad supported tier, and only has one plan. An Apple TV monthly subscription is $12.99 / £9.99 / AU$15.99 or you can pay annually, which works out at $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$129.99.

A recent Apple TV price hike saw people paying 30% more, angering subscribers, which leads me to predict that the streamer might be planning to roll out a cheaper tier.

By introducing a tier with ads, similar to other streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+, Apple could compete with rival ad-supported tiers.

Only time will tell if Apple TV does go ahead with this change, but based on recent events, I'm thinking it's very likely.

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Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What's on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd.

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Is Apple TV getting an ad-supported tier?

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