Apple doesn’t lose money. That’s just not what Apple does. So why is Apple TV+ bleeding over $1 billion annually? Because it’s not really a streaming service—it’s a marketing expense. And when you zoom out, that might actually make sense.
According to a new report from The Information, Apple TV+ boasts 45 million subscribers but still can’t break even. The report, citing sources familiar with the matter, revealed that Apple’s streaming division loses more than $1 billion per year, despite years of high-profile spending on originals like Severance and Killers of the Flower Moon. This financial shortfall, previously unreported, underscores how Apple’s entertainment ambitions continue to cost far more than they generate.
Apple even cut its content budget by $500 million in 2024, signaling that Tim Cook and company are taking a harder look at whether this high-end prestige play is worth it. Even after pouring over $5 billion annually into content, Apple TV+ remains a mid-tier player in streaming, trailing far behind giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
The Case for Apple TV+ as a “Marketing Play”
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos put it bluntly in a recent interview:
“I don’t understand it beyond a marketing play, but they’re really smart people. Maybe they see something we don’t.”
And he’s not wrong. Apple TV+ is not competing on volume like Netflix. It’s not chasing genre dominance like Disney+. And it doesn’t have the legacy brand equity of HBO. What it does have? An iron-clad ecosystem.
Every Ted Lasso and Killers of the Flower Moon is another reason to stay locked into Apple One. Every Friday Night Baseball game is a reason to fire up your Apple device. Every exclusive event, every prestige film—it all feeds into keeping you engaged with Apple’s broader suite of services.
And Apple Services is where the real money is. In Q1 2025, Apple’s Services division (which includes TV+, Music, iCloud, and more) raked in a record $26.3 billion, up from $23.1 billion a year prior. Apple doesn’t break out TV+ revenue, but at $6.99/month, even 45 million paying subs barely nudge the needle. The real value isn’t in direct profits—it’s in keeping users inside the walled garden.
Skip’s Take
Here’s where things get Messi. Even if Apple TV+ is just a high-end, content-driven loyalty program, does it justify the burn rate? Apple can afford to absorb a billion-dollar loss indefinitely, but for how long?
Apple already pulled back spending in 2024, and the recent Sarando’s jab suggests that even industry heavyweights are questioning the long game here. With streaming bundling (hello, Disney+/Hulu/Max mashups) becoming the industry norm, Apple TV+ either needs to scale up or find a better way to justify its costs.
Because right now, Apple is basically paying Hollywood a billion dollars a year to keep you in the ecosystem. And even for Apple, that’s an expensive marketing strategy.
