Apple continuing work on ad-supported TV+ plan; in discussions about UK advertising

After hiring a number of advertising executives earlier in the year, Apple is continuing to show signs of an upcoming ad-supported Apple TV+ plan. According to a new report from The Telegraph, Apple has held meetings with a large UK ratings body to discuss options for tracking advertising.

Apple reportedly sent executives to meet with the Broadcaster’s Audience Research Board (BARB) to discuss additional data collection required for advertising. BARB is a large ratings agency in the UK, and already keeps track of how much time viewers spend watching Apple TV+ content. A number of competitors, such as Netflix, Disney, and Amazon, already work with BARB. The meetings serve as a strong indication that Apple is planning something regarding advertising.

Apple TV+ launched in 2019 for $4.99 a month with no ads. However, the service has received a couple price hikes over the years, increasing to $6.99/month in late 2022, and $9.99/month in late 2023. If Apple were to end up introducing an ad-supported plan like rumors suggest, it would likely launch closer to that $4.99 starting price in 2019.

Ad-supported streaming services have become a popular trend in recent years, with Netflix and Disney+ both launching ad-supported tiers of the streaming services in 2022. Amazon Prime Video also recently became ad-supported by default, requiring Prime members to pay an extra $2.99/month for an ad-free version of the service.

Given the fact that Apple went on a hiring spree earlier this year for highly experienced ad executives, it does seem more likely than not that we’ll see an ad-supported TV+ plan in the near future. Apple started to scale back their spending on Apple TV+ earlier this month, so it would make sense to see them launch a new ad-supported tier as a way to gain some additional subscribers with a lower starting price.

How do you feel about ad-supported streaming services? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.