• by Wayne Friedman , March 21, 2025

While legacy TV network-based companies are nearly break-even or slightly profitable with their premium streamers, Apple TV+ is losing more than $1 billion a year, according to a report.

As a big technology company it spends around $4.5 billion on programming content, according to a story in The Information. That programming expense is about half that of major competitors.

Representatives for Apple TV+ did not respond to Television News Daily inquiries by press time.

Analysts estimate that Apple TV+ has around 45 million global subscribers. While $1 billion in yearly losses seems significant, overall the company posted yearly net profits of $93.7 billion for its fiscal year ending in September 2024.

Notable original TV shows on Apple TV+ include Emmy winners “Ted Lasso” and “The Morning Show” as well as “Severance,” “Shrinking,” “Palm Royale” and “Masters of the Air.”

For the most recently reported month of February, Apple TV+ garnered a 1% share of total TV viewing, per the Nielsen Total TV/Streaming monthly report.

Apple TV+ is tied with Paramount+ Pluto TV, a free ad-supported streaming TV channel, at a 1% share. Eight other premium streaming channels exceed Apple TV+ numbers.

In the U.S, Apple TV+'s regular consumer price is $9.99/month (or $99.99/year).

Among the major premium subscription streamers with core no-advertising options, Apple TV+ is only one that does not offer a lower-priced ad-supported tier. Apple TV+ launched in November 2019.

For its most recent full-year 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery's direct-to-consumer (D2C) business -- largely the Max streamer -- posted a $677 million net profit.

Walt Disney's Disney+ and Hulu streamers earned a combined profit of $293 million last year.

At the same time, Paramount Global's D2C businesses narrowed its operating losses to $286 million in 2024.

NBCUniversal's Peacock had yearly net loss was about $1.8 billion.