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The news: Apple鈥檚 F1: The Movie made $144 million globally in its opening weekend, becoming the company鈥檚 first box office success after prior flops. With standout reviews and marketing synced across the Apple ecosystem, the Brad Pitt-led film was driven by premium formats like IMAX and high youth turnout. Our take: F1 validates Apple鈥檚 blockbuster ambitions, but success here is about more than ticket sales. It鈥檚 a brand-building tool, aimed at strengthening Apple TV+ and its wider services. Turning big-screen moments into lasting streaming growth is the next test鈥攅specially as Apple balances cost, competition, and the evolving economics of global theatrical releases.

While Apple TV+ lost money, Services revenue hit $96.2 billion in 2024鈥攕howing Apple鈥檚 broader ecosystem is carrying the weight of its content ambitions.

Who will be the MLB鈥檚 new streaming partner? As MLB鈥檚 partnership with ESPN is ending, Apple TV+ could eye a deal to expand its sports catalog.

"Severance" drives record Apple TV+ engagement: The streamer saw a 126% surge in new subscribers, proving the impact of high-quality original content.

Apple TV+ offers free weekend: A blend of traditional tactics and tech strategy aims to boost subscribers ahead of Severance Season 2.

Apple feels the pain of Apple TV+ struggles: Its Q4 revenues missed the mark in some divisions including Services, which includes advertising.

A look at Services: Despite some notable wins like the second season of Apple TV+ show 鈥淪everance鈥� last quarter, Apple鈥檚 Services category missed the mark. The category had previously been a bright spot for growth as product sales slowed, but the revenue miss could suggest Apple can鈥檛 rely on subscriptions and ads to offset potential tariff-related losses.

The chart below measures subscription streaming price increases by tracking how the cheapest ad-free standalone subscription prices have changed for Hulu, Disney+, Max, Netflix, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, and Apple TV+ collectively.

Sapphire Reserve will also offer free Apple TV and Apple Music subscriptions. Sapphire Reserve's existing perks, like a flexible $300 annual travel credit for the cardholders鈥� anniversary; the choice between Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or Nexus credit; lounge access; and travel protection remain in the package. Chase also said it will roll out a new Sapphire Reserve Business card later this month.

The low-cost live TV service will remain independently available on major platforms like Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku devices, with its leadership team staying in place. Roku expects the acquisition to strengthen its subscription business and broaden its content offerings with popular linear channels like Hallmark and A&E.

In this analysis, Starz, Discovery+, and Apple TV+ have the most to gain from bundles because their customers have been the most fickle. Bundles drive viewers toward ad tiers. And scale is key to unlocking higher ad revenues for streamers. The expansion of streaming bundles has coincided with more viewers choosing ad tiers.

I think the most recent one to join in or launch a tile on Prime Video is Apple TV. So if you're one of these smaller streaming services like Apple TV that's struggling to gain significant subscriber growth, since the market's really saturated, a platform like Prime Video that has this enormous baked-in audience is clearly appealing.

Apple TV+ is the largest holdout in streaming advertising, and many insiders believe it, too, will eventually offer an ad tier. It is rare for subscription streaming services to not sell advertising. With nearly every service selling inventory, there are a lot more impressions available for purchase. In H1 2024, US CTV ads served by FreeWheel grew 14% YoY.

There鈥檚 a lot for marketers to learn about CTV ads, which encompass digitally sold ads showing up on screens through software like streaming services, hardware like smart TVs, streaming devices like Apple TV, or video game consoles. Here are five essential things to know. 1. The CTV advertising market is experiencing substantial growth.

Most subscription streaming services offer ad-free and ad-supported plans. After Amazon Prime Video introduced its ad plan in January, Apple TV+ became the biggest advertising holdout among streamers. Advertising holdouts have gradually accepted commercial breaks in their programming.

On today's episode, we discuss why CEO Susan Wojcicki is leaving YouTube, the company's top concerns at the moment, and what the future holds. "In Other News," we talk about ads for Apple TV+ and a startup that is attempting to improve ad measurement. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Evelyn Mitchell.

OTT video鈥攊ncluding YouTube, subscription OTT, AVOD, and free ad-supported streaming TV鈥攊s extremely popular in nearly all forms. But traditional pay TV continues to reach new lows.

As streaming subscription prices increase, viewers are becoming more amendable to ad-supported tiers.

The news: Rewards app Fetch and measurement platform Kochava teamed up to offer loyalty rewards to streaming users, per Marketing Brew. Loyalty+ users can earn points from streaming movies or series, watching specific episodes, or downloading streaming apps. Video on demand (SVOD) services can offer incentives based on their chosen KPIs. Our take: Little treats from big streamers can add up and boost loyalty, provided the incentives are worthwhile and requirements aren鈥檛 burdensome. Watching TV for several hours for a fraction of a Starbucks drink, for example, won鈥檛 likely improve platform stickiness.