Why was the "Plus" removed from Apple TV? SVP Eddy Cue opens up

Apple TV just dropped the “Plus” from its name, and fans instantly noticed. What might sound like a small tweak actually has a deeper story behind it.

In a recent chat on The Town podcast, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue, explained that the “Plus” was meant to mark paid versions of services that also had free tiers. But since that logic no longer fit, Apple decided it was time to simplify things and just call it Apple TV.

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A small change with a bigger meaning for Apple TV

For a company that thrives on simplicity, Apple’s decision to remove the “Plus” makes sense. But as Eddy Cue told The Town podcast, this move was about consistency.

Cue said,

“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...”

He admitted that while the “Plus” once helped distinguish the streaming platform from Apple’s other products, most people still called it Apple TV anyway. He continued,

“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.”

However, the name change did stir some confusion. After all, the platform is not just the streaming service but it’s also the name of Apple’s hardware device and the app used to access it. Cue addressed that too, saying,

“Our hardware is called Apple TV 4K for your TV… The app is called Apple TV. It’s been called Apple TV on our third-party products as well, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem at all.”

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The platform's journey and what Cue really meant

The platform started streaming in 2019 with shows like The Morning Show, For All Mankind, and Servant, slowly building a reputation for high-quality originals. But according to Cue, the journey hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.

He said on the podcast,

“The service is doing fine...It’s a lot harder than it looks, as always, because when you try to do things that are great, it takes longer than you want.”

He also mentioned the unexpected challenges the service faced, recalling the long production breaks caused by strikes. Cue noted they were out of production for almost a year and a half. He further added,

“I didn’t predict a nine-month strike from that standpoint. So we were a little further behind than where I’d like to be, but where we are today is great. Our content has never been better.”

When asked about subscriber numbers, Cue didn’t reveal exact figures but hinted that the platform has grown far beyond reports suggesting 40 to 45 million users.

“We haven’t said what our numbers are, but we’re significantly more than that.We’re not going to say what our numbers are. We’re happy with where we’re growing, but we’re trying to be successful.”

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So while it may look like Apple just removed a symbol, the “Plus” drop was a deliberate reset. It’s Apple returning to what it does best, i.e., keeping things simple, polished, and direct.

Cue’s comments show that the platform’s identity now feels secure enough to stand on its own. And if the platform continues delivering hits the way it has, fans might soon forget the “Plus” was ever there.