Look, I’ll be honest – I almost scrolled right past this deal. Apple TV+ at a discount? Yeah, sure, whatever. But then I saw the actual numbers and had to double-check because this is kind of ridiculous.

For Black Friday, Apple’s cutting their streaming service in half. Six months for $6 per month instead of the usual $9.99. That’s a savings of, well, you can do the math – roughly $24 over half a year. Not exactly retirement money, but here’s the thing: everyone’s so busy chasing deals on AirPods and iPads that they’re sleeping on what might actually be the most practical Apple discount this holiday season.

And before you roll your eyes thinking “oh great, another streaming service I don’t need,” hear me out. Because the content situation on Apple TV+ has gotten… actually pretty good?

The Streaming Service Nobody Talks About (But Should)

When Apple TV+ launched back in 2019, it was kind of a joke. I mean, they had what, four shows? The Morning Show, See, and a couple others that nobody remembers. Fast forward to now and they’ve quietly built something that punches way above its weight class.

Ted Lasso basically became a cultural phenomenon. Severance messed with everyone’s heads in the best way. Shrinking’s got Harrison Ford doing comedy, which alone is worth the price of admission. The stuff they’re putting out isn’t just filler content – it’s the kind of shows people actually talk about at dinner parties (or you know, in Slack channels, because this is 2024).

What You’re Actually Getting

Here’s where the deal gets interesting. Six months at this price takes you from Black Friday straight through to late May. That’s basically the entire winter streaming season, plus spring. Awards season, new releases, the whole deal.

• Silo: Season 2 just dropped and people are losing their minds over it
• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: If you’re into the whole Godzilla universe thing
• The Morning Show: Still going strong with its blend of drama and media criticism
• For All Mankind: Alternate history space race that’s surprisingly addictive

The library’s not massive like Netflix where you can doomscroll for 45 minutes trying to find something. But that’s sort of the point? Everything on there is original content that Apple actually invested in. Quality over quantity and all that.

The Math Actually Makes Sense (Shocking, I Know)

Let’s talk money for a second. Netflix’s standard plan runs you $15.49 a month now. Disney+ is at $13.99. Even Paramount+ has the audacity to charge $11.99. Apple TV+ at full price ($9.99) was already one of the cheaper options.

At six bucks a month? That’s cheaper than your morning coffee. Well, okay, maybe not if you’re buying those fancy lattes, but you get what I mean.

How the Promotion Actually Works

The deal’s pretty straightforward, which is refreshing. New subscribers get this pricing automatically when they sign up during the Black Friday period. If you’re already subscribed, well, sorry – this one’s for fresh blood only. Apple wants new eyeballs on their content.

You’re locked in at $6 per month for six months. After that, it jumps back to the regular $9.99 unless you cancel. Set a reminder on your phone right now if you’re the type who forgets about subscriptions (and let’s be real, we all are).

No weird hoops to jump through, no bundle requirements, no forcing you to buy an iPhone 47 Pro Max Ultra or whatever they’re calling it these days. Just the streaming service at half off.

Is It Actually Worth Your Time?

Here’s my take, and I’m trying to be genuinely objective here even though I’ve been on an Apple TV+ binge lately. If you’re already drowning in streaming services, maybe this isn’t the moment to add another one to the pile. Subscription fatigue is real and your credit card statement probably reflects that.

But – and this is a big but – if you’ve been curious about any of the shows I mentioned, or if you’re planning to rotate your streaming services anyway (which, honestly, more people should do), this is probably the best entry point you’re going to get.

The Content Question

The biggest criticism of Apple TV+ has always been the limited library. And yeah, you can binge through their entire catalog in a couple months if you’re really committed. But they’ve been adding new stuff at a steady clip. Documentaries, limited series, films that actually got theatrical releases.

They landed Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. That’s not nothing. And their sports coverage has been expanding – Major League Soccer if you’re into that, plus they’re dipping into other sports content.

The question isn’t really whether there’s enough content to justify six months. It’s more about whether the content they have matches what you actually want to watch. And at this price point, the barrier to finding out is pretty low.

The Fine Print (Because There’s Always Fine Print)

A few things worth knowing before you jump in. First, this deal is only available through specific promotional periods – Black Friday being the obvious one. You can’t just wake up on a random Tuesday in February and expect this pricing.

Second, the six-month period starts when you subscribe, not on some arbitrary date. So if you sign up on Black Friday, you’re covered through late May. Sign up the following week? You get six months from then.

Third – and this is important – the deal only applies to the basic streaming service. If you want the fancy Apple One bundle that includes iCloud storage and Apple Music and all that jazz, different pricing applies.

The Comparison Game

Stack this up against other Black Friday streaming deals and it’s actually competitive. Disney+ usually does some kind of promotion, but it’s often for their ad-supported tier. Same with Hulu. Peacock practically gives itself away year-round, but that’s because… well, it’s Peacock.

Apple TV+ doesn’t have an ad-supported tier. What you see is what you get – no commercials interrupting your binge session at 2 AM when you’re five episodes deep into Severance trying to figure out what the hell is happening.

The value proposition here is pretty simple. You’re getting a premium streaming service, no ads, decent content library, for less than most people spend on lunch. For six months. That’s it.

Should You Actually Pull the Trigger?

I hate articles that end with “it depends” because duh, everything depends on personal circumstances. But in this case? If you’ve got even a passing interest in prestige TV and you’re not actively trying to cut back on streaming services, this is probably worth it.

The worst case scenario is you pay $36 over six months (less than you’d spend on a single month of cable), watch a few shows, and cancel before it renews at full price. Best case? You discover your new favorite series and decide the full price is worth it anyway.

Here’s what I’d suggest: make a list right now of three Apple TV+ shows you’ve heard about and want to check out. If you can come up with three without even trying, sign up. If you’re struggling to name even one show on the platform, maybe skip it and revisit when they announce something that catches your eye.

The deal runs through the Black Friday period, which means you’ve got a bit of time to decide. But knowing how these things go, it’ll probably expire right when you finally make up your mind. That’s just how Black Friday works – engineered urgency and all that.

At the end of the day, it’s fifty percent off a streaming service that’s genuinely improved since launch. Not the flashiest Black Friday deal you’ll see, but maybe one of the most practical. And sometimes practical wins.