On Monday, at the end of a long press release about the global streaming debut of blockbuster film F1, Apple quietly noted that its streaming service is now to be referred to as just Apple TV, with no plus sign in sight. The release referred to a “vibrant new identity,” although that identity has yet to be rolled out and isn’t yet in effect on Apple’s own website.
While a simplification of the names of streaming services is perhaps a welcome change for consumers, in the case of Apple TV it’s also potentially confusing. Besides Apple TV, the streaming service, Apple also offers Apple TV, the set-top box, and Apple TV, the app.
The change comes as the industry expects Apple to roll out a new version of its 4K set-top box by the end of the year. Apple last refreshed the set-top box in October 2022 with the current third-generation 4K version.
Apple TV+ debuted in 2019, around the same time that Amazon, Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros. were rolling out their streaming services in an attempt to slow Netflix’s sudden global domination in the space.
Name changes among streaming services are fairly common, with HBO Max changing to Max in May 2023 and back to HBO Max in July 2025. CBS All Access, which launched in October 2014, was renamed Paramount+ in March 2021. Paramount+’s premium tier was titled Paramount+ with Showtime in 2023 and then changed to Paramount+ Premium, dropping the Showtime name altogether, in June 2025.
Apple TV launched with tentpole series The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, which just launched its fourth season on September 17. In just six short years, Apple TV has gone on to win 553 awards – including Oscars and Emmys – and 2,562 nominations. Series such as Severance, The Studio and Ted Lasso have dominated at recent Emmy ceremonies while CODA was the first streaming movie to win the Oscar for best picture.
Other notable Apple original series include Chief of War, For All Mankind, Foundation, Loot, Pachinko, Platonic, See, Shrinking, Silo, Slow Horses and many more.
READ MORE: The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek
