When Apple TV+ launched late last year, it was always fighting an uphill battle with the other streaming services. Knowing that Apple TV+ was going to be all original content and have no backlog of content, the big streaming services like Hulu and Netflix were in a much better position.
No one really expected Apple to compete with the big services, at least not for a few years. Still, the pace that new content for Apple TV+ has been coming out is very slow, and with coronavirus (COVID-19) shutting tons of production, there's no telling when new content will make its way to the service. Can Apple TV+ weather the storm?
The Banker — mired in controversy
Apple finally released its original movie The Banker today, but it hasn't been an easy road for the production.
Back in January, The Banker was criticized for being inaccurate of how actual events happened, so much so that the wives of Bernard Garrett Sr. asked Apple to cancel its release. The production was mired in controversy, and Apple kept postponing its launch date, both in theaters. and on the service.
The bigger streaming services have had to cancel productions or delay releases because for a myriad of reasons, but when you're an established service with a large user base, that doesn't hurt you as much. Apple doesn't have the user base to support giant gaffes like this repeatedly, and you can bet Apple wants to finally move past this entire thing.
Productions everywhere are shutting down
There's also a worldwide pandemic going on right now that's shutting down productions everywhere. Important Apple TV+ productions like the second season of The Morning Show have been put on hold, and that's not only going to cost Apple money, but the Apple TV+ is going to suffer content-wise. No one knows when productions will start up again, but for Apple TV+ subscribers, it can't be fast enough.
Can Apple TV+ survive
The good news is I don't think Apple TV+ is going anywhere. Apple has too much money invested in its current production, and it knows the world will start spinning as normal again in due time.
The bad news is for Apple TV+ subscribers, because of the already slow pace that new content is being put onto the service is now going to be even slower. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be too much anyone can do about that. We will just have to wait and see.
