Image Courtesy: The Verge
Apple said that its Apple TV Plus streaming platform had less than 20 million members and that it permitted IATSE employees to pay lower rates than larger streaming platforms, CNBC reported. Apple disclosed this to IATSE.
Apple’s Streaming Network, started in November 2019, has never publicly revealed subscriber statistics. But Apple TV Plus does not have as much original programming as larger streaming competitors like Netflix, which announced they had 209 million customers in August.
‘Workers on certain ‘new media’ streaming projects get paid less, even on productions with budgets that rival or exceed those of traditionally released blockbusters,” according to a press release IATSE posted on Tuesday. The statement mentioned no streaming platform on its behalf, but a CNBC spokesperson told CNBC that Apple claimed less than 20 million US and Canadian customers as of 1 July.
After talks with producer companies are stalled, the union is preparing for a possible strike, which states in the release that “the flood of streaming, combined with the pandemic, has increased and worsened working conditions and has brought 60,000 workers in the background under the contracts to a halt.”
Apple TV Plus includes a number of high budget series, including Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, the Morning Show, and Ted Lasso, his unexpected comedy about an English football team’s American coaching. Ted Lasso had a great show last week at the Emmys, was the lead actor for star Jason Sudeikis, winner of Outstanding Comedy awards, and supporter of performing awards for Hannah and Brett Goldstein.
The Morning Show would cost Apple 15 million dollars per episode and many of the authors and performers of Ted Lasso would have been negotiating more expensive contracts for their third season. In July, Apple reported its net profit in the third quarter of 2021 was $21,7 billion, with revenues of $81,43 billion.
The requests for comment from The Verge were not answered quickly by Apple and IATSE on Saturday. An Apple voice said CNBC pays rates that are similar to major streaming providers.
