Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

How will Apple, Disney, AT&T and Netflix retain streaming subscribers?

How will Apple, Disney, AT&T and Netflix retain streaming subscribers?

When Apple Inc’s video streaming service made its debut on Friday, it came with $2 billion worth of original programming - a feature widely considered to be the most powerful magnet for new subscribers.
But for Apple TV+ and its rivals, whose monthly subscriptions are cheaper than traditional cable packages, keeping viewers is a huge challenge.

Streaming providers like Netflix Inc, Apple TV+, Walt Disney Co’s Disney+ and AT&T’s HBO Max tout flexibility: sign up to watch a new show, cancel when you want.

Besides spending millions of dollars on library content, media companies are using programming, promotions and other strategies to avoid cancellations, or “churn” in industry parlance, and retain subscribers who are costly to acquire and easy to lose.

“Churning off of a service once meant finding the phone number of your cable operator, navigating an automated menu and waiting on hold,” said Rich Greenfield, an analyst at LightShed Partners. “We now live in a world where with a couple of clicks of your finger on your phone, all of the friction from cancellation is gone.”

Disney is the only streaming provider that has used a multi-year promotion to lock in subscribers. In August, the company offered new and existing members of its D23 fan club an annual rate of $47 for a three-year commitment to Disney+ - 33% off the standard price.

Disney has the advantage of making content for children, who watch the same movies and TV shows again and again. Netflix, HBO Max and Apple TV+ have invested in kids’ content to keep subscribers from canceling while they wait for the next original, adult-focused show.

In May Netflix made a rare acquisition, of the children’s media brand StoryBots, for an undisclosed sum. In July it announced seven new series targeting preschoolers.

Apple TV+ programming includes two series from Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that makes “Sesame Street.” HBO Max is airing new “Sesame Street” episodes and most of the show’s library.

Streamers are also being strategic about the number and timing of new releases.

“There has to be a cadence to the release slate so there’s something you want to watch coming out throughout the year,” said Fitch analyst Patrice Cucinello.

HBO Max will air one new episode of its original series per week. For most Apple TV+ drama series, including “The Morning Show” and “See,” Apple will release three episodes at a time, followed by one per week. Disney+ will unveil one episode per week for new series such as “Loki.”

Hulu for years has been releasing weekly episodes of its original series such as “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Castle Rock.” CBS Corp’s CBS All Access, another streaming pioneer, releases most original shows weekly.

CBS All Access and its sibling Showtime engage in campaigns to win back subscribers who cancel, according to Marc DeBevoise, chief executive of CBS Interactive. The services contact viewers when a show they used to watch is back on the air, and often offer a promotional rate.

Showtime is in active talks with Amazon Inc, Apple and Roku Inc about creating bundles of two or three services, said a source familiar with the premium cable and satellite TV network. The combined services, with a diverse menu, could replace the cable bundle as a one-stop shop for programming.

HBO Max and Netflix are also investing heavily in broad swaths of content. Netflix paid roughly $15 billion cash for content in 2019, and AT&T will spend $4 billion over the next three years building HBO Max.

Losing subscribers could cost more.

“If I were these companies I would plaster the word ‘churn’ in everyone’s offices,” said Greenfield. “Churn will kill.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×