Streaming services love a rebrand, so here’s the latest one: Apple TV+ is dropping the plus sign and simply becoming Apple TV.
“Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity,” the tech giant told Variety. Apple TV is also the name of the brand’s smart television device, so there’s bound to be a few moments where things get a bit confusing between the hardware and the six-year-old streaming platform.
Apple joins HBO Max — which went from HBO to HBO Max to Max and then back to HBO Max — as the latest to play the rebrand game.
Interestingly enough, the tech and entertainment conglomerate also dropped a key piece of streaming news alongside its announcement. It revealed that the Apple Original Films movie F1: The Movie, which stars Brad Pitt, will be available to stream on Apple TV (without the plus) from December 12.
“It’s been thrilling to see audiences around the world embrace F1: The Movie in theaters,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer said in a statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Now, we’re beyond excited to bring this exhilarating, cinematic ride to fans everywhere through Apple TV’s unparalleled global reach. Partnering with Apple and Formula 1 has been an incredible journey, and we’re proud that even more viewers, from every corner of the world, will get to experience the heart-pounding action and passion.”
The movie certainly won the race at the box office when it opened in theaters in late June, landing a spot as one of the top 10 highest grossing films of the year thus far. The movie garnered a whopping $629 million worldwide, becoming Pitt’s highest grossing live action film ever with the actor in the starring role, ahead of World War Z.
F1 is also Apple’s most successful theatrical release. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon only ended up grossing $218 million worldwide and Martin Scorsese’s impeccable thriller-drama Killers of the Flower Moon came home with $157 million globally.
In case you simply must keep F1 forever, the movie can be purchased for digital ownership via Apple, Amazon, and all the usual platforms now ahead of its streaming debut.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
