While no one outside of Apple’s teams know exactly how many subscribers Apple TV+ has, there’s proof of sustainable and growing demand for the platform’s original programming across a wide breadth of genres. And when one looks at the ratio of success for programming, Apple is outperforming many of its more established competitors.
While Apple TV+ has a fraction of the content available on Netflix, it has a stronger hit rate on average, according to Parrot Analytics‘ data, which takes into account consumer research, streaming, downloads and social media, among other engagement.
According to the Parrot data of online demand for content, Apple TV+ boasts more original shows in the outstanding and good category than in the average or below average category compared to Netflix — and is about on par with HBO Max (not including HBO).
And it’s not just about “Ted Lasso” for Apple TV+ anymore. To better understand where demand for Apple TV+’s programming is coming from, we can look at its top 10 series in the United States.
While “Ted Lasso” was still the most in-demand series on Apple TV+ between March 18-May 18, with an outstanding 24 times the average demand of all other series in the U.S. (something that only 2.7% of all shows reach), the comedy was closely followed by “Severance” and “For All Mankind.”
“Severance,” the Adam Scott-led show about a future where employees split their memories between their work and personal lives, was surrounded by a litany of buzz when it premiered in February. It quickly racked up a ton of demand as the week-to-week word of mouth for the show picked up. “For All Mankind,” a drama that looks at an alternative version of the space race, is one of Apple TV+’s most critically acclaimed shows, and in its third season, has become a cornerstone of the service.
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“Severance” and “For All Mankind” amassed a demand score of 16.9 times and 15.7 times the average demand of all series in the U.S., respectively, which puts them both in the outstanding category.
One of Apple TV+’s biggest strengths is that its originals feel especially curated, an approach reminiscent of cable giants like HBO, FX, Showtime and Starz. Although Apple TV+ doesn’t have as much content as its competitors — including Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu — the originals it does have are generating significant demand. This results in a higher hit ratio than some of its competitors.
Titles like “Pachinko,” “WeCrashed” and “Servant” are great examples of shows that appeal to different taste clusters, which is reflected in demand. “Servant,” a horror series, has 13.9 times the average demand of all other shows. “Pachinko,” an American drama revolving around the lives of a Korean immigrant family, has 14.2 times the average demand of all series. “WeCrashed,” a prestige fact-based drama starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway about the downfall of WeWork, has 14.3 times the average demand.
This is significant. The demand for Apple TV+’s programming is strong, which suggests there’s enough to draw in subscribers. But without a deep library of older movies and series, Apple TV+ faces challenges finding a sizable audience on the scale of some of its competitors.
So what does this mean for Apple TV+? As more programming becomes available on the platform, including potential franchise-style series and longer running programming, Apple TV+ could see sustainable growth even as the competition increases domestically and internationally. The demand for its original programming is there. In a very noisy market, Apple TV+ has managed to make continuous noise and draw people in. The remaining hurdle is generating enough series with strong demand consistently enough that its users sign on for more than just one series and become longtime subscribers.
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