Why Apple TV Plus beat Netflix and Prime Video for our Streaming Service of the Year award

Slow and steady really does the win the race

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It’s been an interesting year to choose which platform should be crowned the Streaming Service of the year at theTechRadar Choice Awards 2024– what with the countless price hikes, intensifying ads onslaught, account restrictions and cancellations that we’ve seen in the past few months alone. But there’s one service that has been outlier in this trend, while also delivering quality shows consistently:Apple TV Plus.

As one of the smallest paid-forbest streaming servicesavailable, it might seem easy to overlook it, butAppleTV Plus has quietly maintained a consistent and affordable price point in 2024 – and only one tier – all while not succumbing to cost pressures by introducing ads or stopping subscribers from sharing their accounts.

Of course, there have been some cancellations this year, includingSchmigadoon!, Constellation, Still Up, The Big Door PrizeandTime Bandits,but the list is dwarfed by the number of renewals that we’ve seen.Hijack,Bad Sisters, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,Slow Horses, Acapulco,Invasion, Dark Matter,Shrinking,Presumed Innocent,Sugar,Loot– just to give you an idea – have all become returning Apple TV Plus hits.

While every service has had to contend with tightening budget strings, Apple TV Plus has stood fast to its approach of quality original content, acquiring A-lister talent for its new releases – one of its biggest snags was getting Brad Pitt and George Clooney together again for thenew movieWolfs.

It does have one of the smallest catalogs around, but it more than makes up for this with its increasing variety of quality hits – just peruse our picks of thebest Apple TV Plus moviesandbest Apple TV Plus showsto get a taste of the highest rated titles on offer at the service and you’ll see it’s no longer justa sci-fi utopia.

While there are plenty of new prestige dramas being added, I’m personally a big fan of its sci-fi offerings and can’t wait to streamSiloseason 2when it returns on November 15, 2024 – I’m even more excited to find out what it has in store for us withSeveranceseason 2next year.

Outside of its originals, Apple TV Plus has also increasingly been beefing up its content slate to offer more choice. In March, subscribers in the US were treated to50 new movieson the platform as part of a new licensing push and while these were only available for a limited time,30 more classic movieswere added in April. Sports fans were also treated in September to afree season pass to Major League Soccer.

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Apple TV Plus' commitment to quality doesn’t just apply to content though, it has one of the best app experiences around, allowing you to stream in4KwithSpatial Audioin over 100 countries. It also offers subtitles and dubbing in close to 40 languages, and is increasingly available on more services, such as most recentlyPrime Video as a subscription add-on.

Apple’s streaming service – despite the company itself being colossal – is one of those services that can often be overlooked because it doesn’t have the sheer scale of the likes of Netflix or Prime Video. But everyone loves an underdog story, and oddly this one comes from the biggest company in the world.

Amelia became the Senior Editor for Home Entertainment at TechRadar in the UK in April 2023. With a background of more than eight years in tech and finance publishing, she’s now leading our coverage to bring you a fresh perspective on everything to do with TV and audio. When she’s not tinkering with the latest gadgets and gizmos in the ever-evolving world of home entertainment, you’ll find her watching movies, taking pictures and travelling.

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