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Probably annoyed by the commissions to be paid to its competitor, Apple has just revoked the possibility of subscribing to Apple TV+ or buying or renting content via televisions and devices running Android TV.
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Barely arrived on Android TV, Apple tightens its rules. Since the summer of 2021, Apple TV and its Apple TV+ service have been available on televisions running on the Google OS. It was possible to subscribe to the platform and its various channels, as well as to rent and buy content via iTunes. We hope you have taken advantage of these features, because they disappeared with the last update. This concerns many television brands, such as Sony, TCL or Sharp, but also external devices such as the Nvidia Shield or Chromecast.
Old subscribers can still use the service
Now, if you check the catalog of movies for purchase or rental, you will only find a “How to watch” button that will direct you to Apple devices. Same thing for the Apple TV + subscription, impossible directly via the television. On the other hand, if you are already a subscriber or if your library contains several series or films purchased or rented before, you can still watch them after logging in.
The reason for this abrupt change of direction seems to be on the side of the commissions paid by the brand to the apple for the use of its products on Google devices. The logic is implacable: if no one can use them in this way, there is no longer any need to pay a percentage to their direct competitor. We still wonder if it is wise for Apple to cut itself off from such a large pool of subscribers. As a reminder, the home SVoD service Apple TV+ had 40 million subscribers last September, half of whom took advantage of free offers.