Building H Index

 

Apple TV and TV+

 
 

INDUSTRY

entertainment

products Profiled

Apple TV+ video streaming service

Apple TV app

Apple TV device

 
 

H-Score

 

27

ranked 3rd (tie) of 7 within entertainment industry

ranked 33rd (tie) of 37 overall

 
 

product descriptions

 

Apple offers a suite of tools for watching video programming: Apple TV+, a subscription streaming service that offers content, the Apple TV app and an Apple TV hardware device.

Apple’s video streaming service, Apple TV+, allows subscribers to watch video content on a variety of devices (including televisions, computers, tablets and smartphones) on a 24/7 basis. Usage of the service is unlimited and charged at a flat rate. It offers more than 100 television shows and movies. Unlike other services that offer access to licensed content, Apple TV+ only includes original programming.

The Apple TV app, which is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple laptop and desktop computers, the Apple TV device, and a variety of game consoles and smart TVs, serves as a video software hub through which users can stream video from: 1) a large variety of popular streaming services; 2) television channels (both live and recorded content); and 3) Apple TV+. Users can also rent or buy individual movies, television series or individual episodes.

The Apple TV device is the interface between the Apple TV app and a television. Through the Apple TV app, it provides users the ability to stream content to their televisions.

 

product usage

 

The Apple TV system provides a single, consistent interface for accessing all types of video content and for streaming it to virtually any device at any time. Most people use the product by sitting, for sustained periods of time, and watching content on a screen. Most users watch the service indoors most of the time and use the service sometimes alone and sometimes with friends or family. While using the service, the service consumes most, if not all, of the user’s attention. 

Apple TV+ is estimated to have approximately 20 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, as of summer 2021.(1) It is one of several competing video streaming services and most users who watch content on Apple TV+ also spend time watching content on other services as well. 

 

influence on health-related behaviors

 
 

EATING

slight negative influence

 

Television viewers frequently eat while watching TV and the foods they eat tend to be less healthy than foods consumed at meal times. Watching TV multiple hours a day has been linked to unhealthy dietary behaviors, and increased outcomes of diet-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.(2,3)

People tend to eat more mindlessly while watching TV because they’re distracted: food is less satisfying, and you miss cues that you’ve eaten enough.(4)

In Building H’s consumer research 64% of video streaming users (not specific to Apple TV or TV+) reported eating at least one meal per week and 59% of users reported snacking sometimes, usually or always, while watching streamed content. 37% of users who streamed more than 4 hours per day reported eating more than one meal per day and 49% of those users reported snacking usually or always, while watching.(5)

Some association between diet and television watching has been attributed to the presence of advertisements for unhealthy foods.(6,7) Most content on Apple TV is streamed without advertisements, although Apple is neutral in its position on advertisements — whether advertisements are included is up to the channel providing the content. Content on Apple TV+ is provided without advertisements.

 
 

PHYSICAL ACTVITY

moderate negative influence

 

Television watching is typically a sedentary activity, thus time spent watching television limits opportunities for physical activity. In addition, television viewing is an especially sedentary behavior, having a lower metabolic rate than other sedentary activities.(8) While a moderate amount of television watching would leave time for more active pursuits, Americans on average spend approximately six hours per day watching video content(9) and less than 5% of Americans get 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity.(10)

As a platform that offers access to virtually limitless content and creates a smooth user experience around viewing it, Apple TV facilitates and even expands opportunities for watching television.

Apple’s implementation of streaming video uses features that encourage greater use of the service. Most of the channels available on Apple TV, including Apple TV+, use flat subscription rates that set no maximum limit on viewing. Many channels use an autoplay feature that automatically loads next episodes, sometimes as quickly as five seconds, thus encouraging binge-watching. Apple TV does not set a system policy on autoplay. Apple TV+ episodes are autoplayed after 15 seconds. Apple does automatically stop autoplay of Apple TV+ episodes after three consecutive episodes or two hours of watch time. Autoplay is activated for children’s programming as well.(11) Users do not have the option to disable the autoplay feature, either at the system level for Apple TV or for Apple TV+.

Apple does enable users to set limits on daily screen time by app (including Apple TV and other video streaming apps) and set specific downtime periods across all of its devices. It’s not clear how many users take advantage of these settings to limit their video streaming.

 

opportunities:

  • Shift away from encouraging binge-watching:
    • eliminate the autoplaying of next episodes or at least eliminate autoplay for children’s programming
    • make autoplay opt-in rather than opt-out or at least enable users to disable autoplay
  • Block services from the Apple TV and iOS app stores that default to autoplay.
 
 

Sleeping

slight to moderate negative influence

 

Late-night television viewing negatively affects sleep in two ways: 1) by offering a competitive alternative to sleep; and 2) through the bright, blue spectrum light of the screens that has been shown to suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that signals the onset of the sleep cycle.(12)

Building H’s consumer research found that 54.7% of video streaming users (not specific to Apple TV or TV+) reported that watching TV or movies caused them to lose some sleep at least once a week on average, with 36.6% reporting that they got less sleep for this reason two or more times a week. 14.5% reported their sleep being affected four or more nights a week.(13)

Apple TV and TV+ encourage binge-watching (which can compete with sleep) through the use of autoplay. 

While Apple’s operating systems for iPhones and iPads have a bedtime mode setting that allows users to specify a regular bedtime (and then modifies their systems to gently discourage device usage during those times), bedtime mode is not available on the Apple TV device.

Apple TV and TV+ might also influence sleep indirectly through their influences on physical activity and time spent outdoors, as both of those behaviors are positively correlated with better sleep.

 

opportunities:

  • Enable users to set a bedtime mode, as with iOS and Android, such that they can specify the hours when they hope to go to sleep and then respect those hours by making the user choose affirmatively to watch new episodes after the set bedtime.
  • Adapt recommendation algorithms to promote less intense programming in the hour prior to the user’s set bedtime.
  • On the Apple TV hardware platform, gradually block the blue light coming from the TV screen as sunset approaches.
  • Block services from the Apple TV and iOS app stores that default to autoplay or that don’t offer bedtime mode (or integrate with Apple’s bedtime mode).
 
 

Engaging Socially

neutral influence

 

Television watching can be either a solo or a social activity. Building H’s consumer research found that 36.1% of streaming users (not specific to Apple TV or TV+) reported watching with others at least 75% of the time, 26.6% reported sometimes watching with others and 37.3% reported watching with others less than 25% of the time.(14) These results are consistent with other research that found Americans split their time evenly between watching alone or watching with others.(15)

Watching television alone clearly competes with social activity, but watching with significant others, family and friends can enhance relationships.

Apple recently introduced SharePlay, a feature to support social viewing.(16) With SharePlay, users can set up FaceTime video calls with friends and watch streaming video from selected channels on Apple TV.

 

opportunities:

  • Promote and/or make SharePlay more prominent.
  • Create prominent opportunities for online discussions about shows.
 
 

Getting Outdoors

moderate to strong negative influence

 

As most viewing takes place indoors, time watching television competes with time spent outdoors.

 

opportunities:

  • Shift away from encouraging binge-watching.
 
 
 
 

Notes

 

  1. José Adorno. Report: Apple TV+ had less than 20 million subscribers as of July in the US and Canada. 9-to-5 Mac. September 25, 2021

  2. Georgina Cairns et al. Systematic reviews of the evidence on the nature, extent and effects of food marketing to children. A retrospective summary. Appetite. Volume 62, 1 March 2013. Pages 209-215.

  3. Ahmad Alghadir et al. Television Watching, Diet and Body Mass Index of School Children in Saudi Arabia. Pediatrics International. Volume 58, Issue 4, April 2016. Pages 290-294.

  4. Janna Smith and Tanya Ditschun. Controlling satiety: how environmental factors influence food intake. Trends in Food Science & Psychology. Volume 20, Issues 6–7, July 2009. Pages 271-277.

  5. Steve Downs. A Survey of Modern Life: Food; Delivery Apps, Meal Kits, Groceries and Cooking Dinner. Building H on Medium. January 20, 2022

  6. J.L. Harris et al. Priming effects of television food advertising on eating behavior. Health Psychology, 28(4), (2009). Pages 404–413. 

  7. Cairns et al. (2013)

  8. Barbara Ainsworth et al. Compendium of Physical Activities: Classification of Energy Costs of Human Physical Activities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, January 1993, pp. 71-80.

  9. Sarah Perez. U.S. Adults Now Spend Nearly 6 Hours per Day Watching Video. TechCrunch, July 31, 2018

  10. President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Facts & Statistics

  11. This information was added on June 17, 2022. It was not available at the time of scoring.

  12. Matthew Walker. Why We Sleep. pp. 267-270

  13. Steve Downs. A Survey of Modern Life: Sleep; New Data on American Sleeping Patterns. Building H on Medium. May 25, 2021

  14. Carlo Martinez. A Survey of Modern Life: Entertainment. Building H on Medium. May 4, 2021

  15. When You Watch, Are You Alone? Radio & Television Business Report. January 15, 2019

  16. SharePlay powers new ways to stay connected and share experiences in FaceTime. Apple Newsroom, November 18, 2021