(Credit: Apple)
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UPDATE (10/15): After Apple quietly rebranded Apple TV+ to Apple TV earlier this week, the company's SVP of services, Eddy Cue, has provided an explanation for the move.
"We put the plus in there because we've used it in our other services like iCloud+ and News+, but we do that when we have a free service and then there's a paid version," Cue said in an episode of The Town podcast. "We stayed consistent because of it, but we all called it Apple TV, and we said, given where we are today, it's a great time to do it, so let's just do it."
Going by that convention, Apple may even change the name of its Fitness+ service. As Deadline reports, it doesn't have a free tier, either, but still carries the "plus" in its name.
Meanwhile, Apple's rebranding of its streaming platform has resulted in it sharing a name often associated with its streaming device: Apple TV. Cue said the streaming device for TV is actually called the Apple TV 4K. "I think that's fine," he added.
Original Story (10/14): It's been a year of rebrands for streaming services, and the latest to join the trend is Apple. Its streaming platform, Apple TV+, will now be called Apple TV.
The update wasn't revealed in a standalone press release but was rather pushed under the announcement for F1: The Movie's Dec. 12 debut on the platform.
"Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity," Apple says, without mentioning when and why the change is rolling out. We checked Apple TV's website and app after the announcement, and both are yet to reflect the new name.
Apart from Apple TV, two other major streamers have undergone name changes this year. Max went back to its original name, HBO Max, while Paramount+ renamed its wordy Paramount+ With Showtime tier to Paramount+ Premium.
For HBO Max, the rebrand is meant to represent "the highest quality in media" and to "further accelerate that growth in the years ahead," according to David Zaslav, CEO and President of Warner Bros. Discovery. For Paramount+, on the other hand, the change is intended to reflect the platform's decision to add Showtime programming to its more-affordable tier.
Meanwhile, the Apple-produced F1: The Movie arrives on Apple TV later this year following its highly successful theatrical run. Apple is reportedly also planning to bag the streaming rights of Formula 1, the motorsport, from ESPN. It has been pushing for sports content on Apple TV for quite some time, with partnerships with Major League Soccer (MLS) and Major League Baseball (MLB) already in place.
Apple raised the subscription price for the service in August, increasing it from $9.99 to $12.99 per month. The service is now available in over 100 countries and is being viewed on over 1 billion screens, Apple says.