Apple TV+ finally gets third-party content, but not for everyone

Apple
(Image credit: Apple)

The main criticism Apple TV+ has faced in its five years of operation is that its content offering couldn't go toe to toe with the likes of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix when it came to quantity. It was practically the only streaming service on the market that didn't offer content from other providers; thankfully, that's about to change. 

Apple has added 53 titles to the service, with a thorough mix of high-brow Academy Award winners and blockbuster Hollywood action flicks. You'll find titles such as The Prestige, A Star Is Born, Mad Max Fury Road, The Wolf Of Wall Street, Spider-Man, Kill Bill, Mean Girls and Saving Private Ryan. You can find a full selection of new third-party titles here.

That's quite a list of titles that should suit most tastes, with Apple using its powers to unite content from most major film studios in one place, including offerings from Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Paramount, Universal, Lionsgate and Disney. 

Many of the available titles support Dolby Atmos for audio and Dolby Vision HDR, and if you've invested in a Vision Pro headset then you'll be pleased to find some will stream in 3D. 

There are some major downsides here, as is usually the case. Foremost is that you'll only be able to access these titles on Apple TV+ if you live in the US, with no word as to whether these titles will come to users in other countries. Secondly is that, unlike the rest of Apple's content on the service, these titles will be timed exclusives, meaning you'll have just a few weeks to stream some of these films. In fact, some titles will be removed from the service by the end of March, so you'd better start streaming quickly if you've got your eye on a specific movie.  

Despite the addition of new content, Apple says that it's still totally focused on developing its own original content first and foremost, unlike its competitors which balance a constant slew of new and existing content. We're unsure if this is Apple testing the waters for a future expansion of its streaming service, but we'd certainly like to see more content come to the service in more regions soon.

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Lewis Empson
Staff Writer

Lewis Empson is a Staff Writer on What Hi-Fi?. He was previously Gaming and Digital editor for Cardiff University's 'Quench Magazine', Lewis graduated in 2021 and has since worked on a selection of lifestyle magazines and regional newspapers. Outside of work, he enjoys gaming, gigs and regular cinema trips.