Apple TV+ survey reveals eye-opening insight into free trials, user satisfaction and retention

Apple TV+ Apple TV interface Source: Joseph Keller/iMore

What you need to know

Flixed has surveyed Apple TV+ trial users.
Their results have revealed a lot of interesting insight into how it's being received by viewers.
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed only signed up for a seven-day trial subscription and 72% of those people didn't purchase once it expired.

Flixed has published the results of a survey of over a thousand Apple TV+ trial users.

According to their report, they surveyed 1090 Apple TV+ trial users. 73% of those people signed up with a seven-day trial, only 21% got the free year that comes with an Apple device purchase. Half of those surveyed said their trial had expired. Of those whose trial was over, 72% said they did not purchase Apple TV+ after it had expired, with only 28% going on to become paying subscribers. Of the rest whose trials had not yet expired, nearly 60% said they would pay the $4.99 fee once the time came.

In comparison to Netflix, only 19% said that the service was either a little or much better. The rest all said that Apple TV+ was either the same, a little worse or much worse than Netflix:

On average, respondents said they liked Apple TV+ less than Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. But they were most displeased with TV+ compared to Netflix. This could present the service with problems down the road: Unlike its competitors, who are still working to find the right mixture between original and syndicated content, Apple TV+ is currently 100 percent original. Its unfamiliar offerings will have to be sufficiently compelling to overcome the hurdles created when a content portfolio doesn't have standards like Friends to fall back on.

When asked about cost, the median price people whose trials had expired said they would pay was just a dollar. The median price offered by those who were already paying was $7.

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The average user reportedly spent over 3 and-a-half hours a week watching content, mostly on the Apple TV. The highest-rated show in terms of satisfaction was Helpsters.

The stats, in particular regarding audience retention and value for money are really interesting. Of course, this is a small sample size, so it might not be indicative of the whole Apple TV+ audience. However, it does reveal that of those asked about their expired Apple TV+ trial, the overwhelming majority of people do not intend to purchase the service.

You can read the survey in full here.