Apple is doing away with the “Plus” from its streaming video service, and will market the platform as “Apple TV” moving forward.
The change was quietly slipped into a press release promoting the distribution date for Apple’s “F1: The Movie” on its streaming service, months after the film enjoyed a short theatrical run earlier this year.
MacRumors, a tech publication that covers Apple-related news, was the first to spot the change on Monday.
The rebrand is likely to add more confusion to what was already a confusing naming convention for Apple’s video ecosystem. The Apple TV name has long been associated with the tech company’s streaming video hardware, which competes with the likes of Roku and Fire TV from Amazon and allows users to stream third-party apps like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Disney Plus and HBO Max from their TV sets.
In recent years, Apple has also supported an app, also called Apple TV, which aggregates content listings from a number of third party partners and sells content-based subscriptions to apps like Paramount Plus, AMC Plus and Britbox. The app is baked into Apple TV devices and also exists on Apple’s computers, phones and tablets.
Apple TV Plus (stylized as Apple TV+) has stood out from the other two products by showcasing Apple’s streaming movies, TV shows and sports. After being exclusive to Apple devices for a few years, the app has since broadened out to other platforms, including Roku, Fire TV, Android TV and smart TVs made by Samsung, LG and Vizio, among other places. A version of Apple TV Plus is also available within Amazon’s Prime Video Channels marketplace.
It isn’t clear when Apple will rename the streaming app to Apple TV — right now, the Apple TV Plus website still uses the old name — but the evolution will likely occur before December 12, when F1: The Movie becomes available to stream with an Apple TV subscription.
Apple TV Plus costs $13 per month or $130 per year.
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