Apple TV+ Has a New Name

Apple’s streaming service is getting a low-key rebrand.

According to a press release announcing the imminent arrival of Apple’s big racing blockbuster F1 on streaming, the company revealed that Apple TV+ “is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity.”

The service has been known as Apple TV+ since it was first introduced in November of 2019. The service holds a small but growing library of movies and series, and is home to popular shows like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, and recent Emmy Award winner The Studio. Apple TV(+) costs $12.99 per month.

The plus at the end of its name previously helped distinguish the service from Apple’s Apple TV hardware, which connects to a TV set and offers access to Apple TV+ (not plus anymore) along with customers’ library of films and shows purchased through Apple’s digital store. The Apple TV device can also be customized with a variety of other streaming apps like Netflix and YouTube.

Apple

Ditching the plus could lead to some confusion, I suppose; are you talking about Apple TV the physical thing or Apple TV the more amorphous concept you access through the other Apple TV? Ultimately, I guess it really doesn’t matter. Because customers generally use one to watch the other, the two are linked in users’ minds regardless of their names. (The Apple TV service can be accessed on computers or phones or tablets as well, through an app that, in a way that is in no way confusing, is called “Apple TV.”)

F1 will begin streaming on Apple TV+ on December 12. The movie, starring Brad Pitt as an aging race car driver who attempts to make a comeback in the world of Formula One, was Apple’s biggest theatrical hit to date, grossing more than $628 million worldwide. (As of this writing, my own computer still shows the old Apple TV+ name. The Apple TV app on my MacBook Air still includes “Apple TV+” in the index of viewing options. along the left side of the window.)