FILE PHOTO: A view of a signage outside an Apple store in London, Britain, October 11, 2024. REUTERS/Mina Kim/File photo
(Reuters) -Apple is losing more than $1 billion a year on its streaming service, the Information reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter.
The tech giant has spent more than $5 billion a year on content since launching Apple TV+ in 2019 but trimmed it by around $500 million last year, the report said.
Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Apple TV+, known for original shows such as "Ted Lasso", "The Morning Show", "Shrinking", and "Severance", has lagged behind rivals Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon.com's Prime Video in terms of subscribers.
Industry leader Netflix had a total subscriber count of 301.63 million, according to the latest data, while Disney+ had 124.6 million users followed by Warner Bros Discovery at 116.9 million.
The iPhone maker does not break down the subscribers for Apple TV+ but it is estimated to have reached 40.4 million at the end of 2024, according to five analysts polled by Visible Alpha.
Apple TV+ productions have earned more than 2,500 nominations and 538 wins, CEO Tim Cook said in a post earnings call in January.
As competition heats up in the streaming industry, media companies are increasingly bundling their services at discounted rates to appeal to price-conscious consumers.
Apple TV+ is part of a bundle offered by Comcast that combines the service with Peacock and Netflix at $15 per month. Apple TV+ costs $9.99 per month in the U.S when bought separately.
The Cupertino, California-based company also bundles Apple TV+ with services such as iCloud, Apple Music and others under the Apple One program.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram and Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Sriraj Kalluvila)
