Former Netflix CEO: Apple Not in Streaming Market 'With Both Feet'

Netflix co-founder and former CEO Marc Randolph recently spoke to Yahoo Finance, where he commented on Disney+ and Apple TV+, two Netflix competitors in the streaming market.

Netflix
Randolph criticized Apple's free ‌Apple TV‌+ offerings and the number of subscribers that are still not paying. Apple has been offering free year-long ‌Apple TV‌+ subscriptions to those who purchase a new Apple device, and has already twice extended the free subscriptions of those who initially signed up in 2019.

"If Apple spent one quarter as much time on content as they do on giveaways they really could play," Randolph said. "They have no excuse [and] they're still not in it with both feet. They really have to do the entrepreneurial thing and walk up to the edge of the cliff and jump."

He went on to explain that ‌Apple TV‌+ has the "highest churn rate" out of all the available streaming services. "You can't keep replacing people," he said. "You've got to give them a reason to stay."

On Disney+, Randolph said that the streaming service has "fought its way up to a really strong position" with its continuous slate of new content. "It's really a war of who's prepared to make the content," he said. Disney+ just today announced that it has hit 95 million subscribers and could hit Netflix-like numbers in just a few years. Netflix currently has more than 200 million subscribers.

Netflix last month said that it plans to release a new original film every week in 2021, and of the streaming services, it has one of the largest content catalogs available. Disney+ was also able to launch with a huge amount of content, and Disney has regularly been introducing new Star Wars and Marvel shows, among other titles.

Apple built ‌Apple TV‌+ from the ground up and has been adding new content regularly, but the streaming service lags far behind its competitors. Apple has never announced subscriber numbers, but said at the beginning of February that it had seen record viewership with the launch of Justin Timberlake movie "Palmer."

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...

Top Rated Comments

iapplelove Avatar
58 months ago

I'm currently watching Ted Lasso that everyone's raving about and I don't think it's that good
I bet 9/10 people on the street never even heard of the show. I only hear about apple shows when I’m here on MR.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unggoy Murderer Avatar
58 months ago
Wonder if Netflix were in the streaming market "with both feet" when they were still mailing DVD's around the country...? Apple TV+ hasn't even been around for two years yet, and we've had a pandemic to deal with (which will affect production output, as it has with all the platforms). Give them time.

And the stuff on TV+ I've seen so far has been excellent.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2979382 Avatar
58 months ago
Gimme a break Netflix. I recently unsubscribed because all they do is raise prices, stuff more old movies in and add soaps one after the other.

Not to act like an Apple fanboy, but Apple doesn't have to be in the streaming business with both feet. They can afford to even give it away for free for all eternity as a nice perk for buying Apple hardware. Heck, I would. That alone is an extra reason to buy an AppleTV box or any other hardware. I paid for a while, and then got it free when I bought my M1 machine, and honestly, I think the quality to volume ratio is higher than any service out there. When Netflix started out as a streaming service it was full of utter *****, same goes for Amazon Prime, and frankly Disney+ until recently was mostly for kids - though they are raising their prices too to stuff another service inside it.

So far everything I watched on AppleTV+, I thoroughly enjoyed, and don't say that because I have to, but because I genuinely did. Netflix's CEO should shut up, and be happy that Apple isn't trying to be in streaming with both feet, as that could mean the end of Netflix itself.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tsa1 Avatar
58 months ago
Agreed.

they need to buy rights to something people actually want to watch. People are becoming addicted to streaming services. Apple has what? The morning show? See? Even HBO Max raised by wolves spoke to me more than any show on Apple TV. Buying big name movies is a start but giving Oprah all these shows isn’t the move.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hoodafoo Avatar
58 months ago
I'm currently watching Ted Lasso that everyone's raving about and I don't think it's that good
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ersan191 Avatar
58 months ago
TV+ at its current trajectory seems like a failure to me. Not enough compelling content. They have all these great creators, directors, actors and writers but it feels like they are using ATV+ for all their back burner half-baked secondary content that nobody else wanted to pay to develop because it wasn’t good enough.

Apple knows it too, since they are still giving it away for free.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)