Netflix Is Losing The Sci-Fi Streaming War To One Obvious Competitor

The latter is based on sci-giant author Isaac Asimov’s award-winning works and, when it comes to science fiction, represents the best prestige TV has to offer. For evidence of this, look no further than the 100% rating the second season earned on Rotten Tomatoes; the series is widely considered a genre benchmark. The project’s growing legion of fans will be hugely excited to hear that the Foundation has been renewed for a third season.

Matt Cherniss, Apple TV+’s head of programming, gushed about the show, especially its ability to grip audiences worldwide through compelling screenwriting and authentic drama. The C-suite over at Netflix might have paled a little when they learned about the Applt TV+ show’s star-studded cast, featuring the likes of Lee Pace and Jared Harris.

Some fans even enjoyed the fantastic second season more than the first. Season Two saw the series leaping a century into the future, exploring the sage of the Cleons, the spiteful queen’s scheme against the Empire, and the Foundation’s religious epoch. 

For the next season, fans should look forward to characters like the Mule, Bayta, Toran, Ebling, and Magnifico Giganticus commanding center stage. For his part, Showrunner David Goyer expressed palpable excitement surrounding the series and its delving deeper into Asimov’s classic sci-fi universe. 

Its difficult not to speculate that the executives at Netflix are probably less than thrilled about the noticeable spike in top-quality sci-content at Apple TV+. Apple’s stellar selection poses a significant challenge to Netflix, long considered the dominant player in the streaming landscape (the home, after all, of genre household names like Stranger Things). Apple TV+’s success demonstrates a shift in viewers’ preferences, increasingly drawn to imaginative, well-crafted fiction narratives. The more Apple TV+ invests in and expands its sci-fi selection, the more creative other streaming services need to be to weather the intense competition, retain audiences, and attract new subscribers

It’s remarkable to reflect that, unlike Netflix, Apple was once a tech company completely unassociated with broadcasting original streaming content. Sure, back in the day, we rented DVDs from Netflix via mail, but we never watched Apple TV+ on our multicolored iMacs. Today, with programs like Ted Lasso and Slow Horses, the service is poised to enjoy major swaths of the streaming audience. 

Launched in November 2019, Apple TV+ is Apple Inc.’s venture into the (extra) competitive streaming service market. It offers various original content across multiple genres, including terrific sci-fi. The subscription-based service differentiates itself by supplying completely original content instead of going the more traditional route of streaming licensed content from other providers. 

This approach has paid off, eventuating a diverse and high-quality catalog of shows, movies, documentaries, and children’s programming, rivaling Netflix and drawing crowds to Apple TV+. 

One of the critical aspects of Apple TV’s strategy has been their investment in top-tier talent, both in front of and behind the camera, with big names like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Jason Momoa cementing the success of flagship shows like The Morning Show, See, and Ted Lasso.

Lasso, in particular, has earned heaps of critical acclaim and a diehard fanbase, embodying Apple TV+’s commitment to high-quality storytelling.