TL; DR
- With the purchase of a new device, Apple is ending a promotion that provides one year of free TV Plus service.
- From July 1st you will get “only” three months of free access.
- The move reflects the confidence that TV Plus can stand alone.
One of the easiest (albeit most expensive) ways to watch Apple TV Plus is about to go away. MacRumors reports that Apple is ending a promotion that gave people who buy new iPhones, Macs, and other essential devices TV Plus free for a year.
Visit the service page and you will receive a notification that Apple will no longer offer a free year of TV Plus as of July 1st, a paid subscription.
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While the free year was clearly preferable, the smaller TV Plus offering is still significant compared to what you get on competing streaming services. Amazon Prime Video offers a standard 30-day trial, while Disney Plus and Netflix have largely abolished trial periods. You can still see entire seasons of Ted Lasso and other shows without completing marathon episodes or paying for your subscription.
To some extent, Apple had no choice but to stop the promo. The Apple TV Plus Free Year should increase adoption of the fledgling service to help compete with Amazon and Netflix. As well as that worked, there were concerns that Apple was using the free service to prop up subscriber numbers. The three-month trial period is both a test of the real adhesive strength of TV Plus and a mirror of confidence in a service that is now having some real hits – and possibly its audience.
