by Jason Snell
Apple TV+ subscriptions are getting a pandemic extension
In a not particularly surprising move, Apple is extending Apple TV+ subscriptions through February 2021. Here’s Matthew Panzarino at TechCrunch:
Apple told me today that it will be extending AppleTV+ subscriptions that are set to end November 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021 through their billing date in February of 2021.
The basic situation is that Apple gave away a free year of AppleTV+ to new device purchasers last year and those are all set to end in November. Apple knows everyone is still looking at a tough winter ahead filled with COVID-related restrictions so it’s bumping those subs out to February.
Indeed, the short version of this story is that Apple intended to have the second seasons of all of its top-line shows ready to go this fall, just as free subscriptions were expiring—but COVID-19 has led to a lot of delays and much thinner programming slates. It’s smart for Apple to keep people on Apple TV+ in the meantime.