Apple has announced a quiet but notable rebrand of its streaming service, dropping the plus sign from Apple TV+ to now be known simply as Apple TV.
The change has been unveiled in a release announcing the December 12 streaming date for F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt. The statement read, “Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity,” without offering further clarification.
Despite the announcement, Apple’s official website has still been displaying the previous Apple TV+ branding as of Tuesday afternoon.
With this shift, Apple TV has stepped away from the long list of streaming platforms using the “+” convention, such as Disney+, Paramount+, ESPN+, Discovery+, and AMC+. However, the company continues to maintain the plus branding across other services, including Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, and iCloud+.
Originally launched on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ entered the streaming market to compete with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO. It has gained recognition for acclaimed shows like The Morning Show and the Oscar-winning 2021 film CODA, while its hit comedy Ted Lasso has been confirmed for a fourth season.
The rebranding has the potential to cause some confusion, as Apple also offers both a hardware device and a content-aggregation app under the name Apple TV. The company has not issued any official clarification regarding this overlap.
A similar move by HBO Max in 2023, when it rebranded as Max, led to significant confusion among users, prompting Warner Bros. Discovery to revert to HBO Max earlier this year.
