Apple TV has recorded the biggest week of viewership in its history, with viewing rising 67% year over year during the week of September 14 as a combination of major releases and an awards boost drove audiences to the streaming service.
The record marks the latest sign of accelerating momentum for Apple TV, which has expanded both its programming lineup and global reach significantly this year.
According to figures shared by Apple with Deadline, the service recorded its highest weekly viewership ever during the week beginning September 14.
The 67% year-over-year increase came as several of Apple’s biggest titles were attracting audiences at the same time, including the fourth season of Ted Lasso, the Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh movie Mayday, and Emmy-winning series Widow’s Bay and Pluribus.
Mayday has become Apple’s biggest movie debut to date based on its first 18 days on the service.
Independent U.S. viewing data gives some indication of the film’s performance. Luminate ranked Mayday as the No. 1 movie in the U.S. during its opening week, recording 8.7 million views between September 4 and September 10, according to Deadline.
Nielsen also placed Mayday among the most-watched streaming movies in the United States for the week of September 7 through September 13, with 295 million minutes viewed.
Ted Lasso has also returned as a major driver for Apple TV following the arrival of its fourth season.
Nielsen recorded 734 million minutes of Ted Lasso viewing in the United States during the week of September 7 through September 13, making it the seventh most-watched streaming title overall and the fourth most-watched streaming original during that period.
The record week also came immediately after Apple’s strongest-ever performance at the Emmy Awards.
Apple won 29 Emmys this year, more than any other network, with Widow’s Bay accounting for 14 wins and becoming the most-awarded new comedy series in Emmy history.
That recognition translated into a substantial increase in viewing.
Apple says Widow’s Bay viewership jumped 280% week over week following the Emmys, with particularly strong increases in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, India, Poland and Spain.
Pluribus experienced a similar effect after collecting six Emmy wins, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Rhea Seehorn. Apple says viewing of the series increased 200% week over week following the ceremony.
The record isn’t being driven solely by individual shows.
Apple TV has also become available to a considerably larger potential audience this month following Apple’s decision to include the streaming service with iCloud+ at no additional cost in more than 100 countries.
That expansion introduced Apple TV to 59 additional markets and increased its overall availability to 170 countries, potentially putting the service in front of millions of existing iCloud+ subscribers who previously would have needed a separate Apple TV subscription.
Apple does not routinely disclose subscriber numbers for Apple TV, making viewing records and third-party measurement particularly useful indicators of how the service is performing.
The latest record follows another major milestone earlier this year. Apple said viewing reached an all-time quarterly high during the June quarter, showing that the September surge builds on growth already underway rather than representing a single strong week in isolation.
With Ted Lasso back among the most-watched streaming shows, Mayday delivering Apple’s strongest movie debut to date and Emmy wins sending viewers back to Widow’s Bay and Pluribus, September has brought several of the service’s biggest audience drivers together at once.
The result is the largest week Apple TV has recorded since the streaming service launched in November 2019.
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