You’re happy to pay for Netflix as they increase the price, but why won’t you try AppleTV+?

The monthly charges for its UK basic service would rise by £1 to £7.99 and the premium option will increase by £2 to £17.99, as cord-cutting continues to be prevalent and the BBC bemoan a lack of TV license payees, it’s becoming more of a challenge to decide what to keep subscribing to and what to ditch. But among all the discussions on what to watch on Netflix or Prime Video - I can't help but feel there is a distinct lack of love for AppleTV+ - you know, the streaming platform your parents enjoy. Being 40, I fit into that age bracket these days. 

Given that Apple will give away a six-month subscription to the service when you buy most products from the fruit-theme technological giant, I kind of find myself agog when talking to people with the latest iPhone about shows on AppleTV+, and met with a dumbfounded look or worse - that they can’t afford it. While holding an iPhone 14. Yeah, that makes real sense.

AppleTV+ is £6.99 per month - an entire £1 cheaper than what Netflix is set to cost at its cheapest subscription price. Admittedly you’re not going to get to delve into waves of nostalgic programming, like Friends and Peep Show, and therefore perhaps not verse yourself into how problematic some shows were back in the day. But given the recent successes of AppleTV+ regarding its original programming, is now the time to consider switching between the two, if push comes to shove?

I find Netflix overwhelming sometimes; searching for an item based on a ‘mood’ rather than a genre turns me into an angry old man shaking my fist at the television set, and with the absolute deluge of content on there, from old classics to Netflix Originals, both films and television series, I find myself spending more time sifting for what to watch than actually watching something. Yet the advertising campaigns that come with AppleTV Originals manage to capture my attention more so than the hyper-caffeinated, flashing imagery of Netflix.

Some of the best television shows in recent years, from ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Severance’ and ‘Hijack’ (hi Max Beesley!) unsurprisingly emanate from that platform that people seem to eschew in favour of Paramount+, MGM, and insert film studio and add a “+” suffix here streaming service. Yet all three have been very well regarded, with Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ also a watershed moment for the streaming service. 

Is it because the content on AppleTV+ is more dialogue-driven and mublecore-esque than the content Netflix at times churns out? Or is it more that we enjoy what we know is good because we’ve watched it before, or that it has touchstones to other things that we’ve enjoyed in the past? Maybe I’m still angry they cancelled ‘Cowboy Bebop’ on Netflix, or maybe I’ve just grown out of the things that Netflix’s range of nostalgia provides.

Or maybe, just maybe, I’m waiting for a new deluge of content to arrive on Netflix that is of interest to me, and then I forget AppleTV+ exists. But in terms of content for the money I’m handing over - I’ll be happy once my free subscription after buying a Macbook is over to hand my money over. I’d do it for ‘Severance’ alone. I don’t think I’d do the same with such enthusiasm for another ‘90s comedy series to arrive on Netflix with seasons abridged.