Apple TV+ is over five years old, and besides its viral Ted Lasso moment, the streamer has struggled to gain mainstream traction until just recently. One producer who made a show for Apple thinks he knows why.
Apple’s marketing is ‘the best for iPhones, the worst for television’
Rafa Sales Ross at Variety recently interviewed TV producer Alex Berger, who made La Maison for Apple TV+. That partnership is apparently not one he intends to repeat.
“Marketing makes a show,” he emphasized. “Apple, for example, is probably the worst marketer in the universe — the best for iPhones, the worst for television. They don’t do marketing, and it was an issue for us with ‘La Maison.’ We did a great show that had an amazing success in France and other places in Europe, but they never promoted it. It drove me crazy.”
Asked why, while believing Apple TV+ to lack in marketing efforts, did he decide to take “La Maison” to the streamer, Berger said simply: “Hope. We had hope.”
“Apple TV+ had never done a show in France and never really done a show in Europe,” adds the producer. “‘Slow Horses’ started [things] in the U.K., but it was with the U.S.. I was hoping I would change them. We got very frustrated and just thought at one point that they were shooting themselves in the foot, and why?
Berger concludes, “these are shows that nobody will see most of the time, which is a pity.”
9to5Mac’s Take
Even though some of Berger’s words are hyperbolic, I’m completely sympathetic to his views.
Before finding viral marketing success with Severance this year, I’ve found the Apple TV+ marketing very disappointing. Especially considering Apple’s strong track record with advertising its hardware products.
La Maison faced the additional challenge of being a French-language series, at the time one of the only non-English shows on the streamer. So it had an uphill battle already, making Apple’s marketing struggles even more of a problem.
What do you think of Apple’s TV+ marketing? Let us know in the comments.
Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo, and Shrinking. You can also watch free in several ways.
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