According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Apple’s video-streaming service is “below average” in terms of both value and original programming.
Apple debuted in the 2019-20 US annual index in twelfth position with a customer satisfaction rating of 74 out of 100, tying both Google Play and HBO. Topping the index was Disney+ with a first-time score of 80 out of 100, which puts the new streaming service ahead of former leader Netflix, with 78 out of 100.
Like Apple TV+, Disney+ launched in November.
Elsewhere this year, Hulu closed in on Netflix, up 1 percent to 77 out of 100. Likewise, the Apple TV app is up 1 percent to 77 for customer satisfaction. Netflix remains the largest streaming service by far, with about 183 million subscribers worldwide.
Hulu is now controlled by Disney.
Although both Disney+ and Apple TV+ became available in November 2019, Disney’s service enjoyed 54.5 million subscribers worldwide thanks to its broad appeal to families with content spanning Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic and Star Wars.
TUTORIAL: How to get free access to Apple TV+
“According to viewers, Disney+ is a standout across much of the customer experience and its original content rates best in class,” said the survey. Apple does not report any hard numbers for Apple TV+ but Bloomberg thinks the service crossed ten million subscribers in February.
Much of that is due to Apple’s promotion giving away one-year free subscriptions to Apple TV+ to those who’d purchase a new Apple product although “only about half of that number have actively used the service,” Bloomberg has it. On top of that, Apple TV+ launched without third-party programming vs. Disney’s massive catalog.
Apple TV+ saw its viewership rise during self-isolation, Parrot Associates discovered.
Tim Cook & Co. are clearly in this for the long haul, but it should be noted that building a competitive library of first-class video content takes a lot of time and money. That being said, Apple’s service may in fact serve licensed programming some time in the future.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman in May, the Cupertino tech giant’s worldwide video team is currently licensing other people’s content in a bid to build a strong back catalog of third-party TV shows and movies, which in turn should make the service more attractive to new subscribers and allow Apple to better compete with the likes of Netflix and others.
Are you subscribed to Apple TV+? If so, what are your thoughts on it so far?
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