Apple on Monday quietly rebranded its Apple TV+ streaming service by dropping the ‘+’ – it’s now just Apple TV, you know, like Apple TV (hardware) and Apple TV (application).
Also, Apple Original Films announced today that “F1 The Movie,” the highest-grossing sports film of all time starring Brad Pitt and hailing from director Joseph Kosinski, will make its global streaming debut on Apple TV (streaming service) on Friday, December 12, following its record-breaking theatrical run.
Since its wide theatrical release on June 27, 2025, “F1 The Movie” has broken records, debuting at No. 1 and surpassing $629 million at the global box office. In addition to being the highest-grossing sports film, “F1 The Movie” is this year’s highest-grossing original feature, and the biggest opening for an original live-action film in the U.S. in the last five years, as well as Brad Pitt’s highest-grossing feature to date. The film boasts an A CinemaScore, along with a soaring 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and continues to fuel wide acclaim as the most authentic racing feature ever made.
“It’s been thrilling to see audiences around the world embrace ‘F1 The Movie’ in theaters,” said producer Jerry Bruckheimer in a statement. “Now, we’re beyond excited to bring this exhilarating, cinematic ride to fans everywhere through Apple TV’s unparalleled global reach. Partnering with Apple and Formula 1 has been an incredible journey, and we’re proud that even more viewers, from every corner of the world, will get to experience the heart-pounding action and passion that defines ‘F1 The Movie.’”
Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was Formula 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling Formula 1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to Formula 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team’s hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in Formula 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition — and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.
“F1 The Movie” also stars Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia and Bardem, and was shot during actual Grand Prix weekends as the team competed against the titans of the sport. The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Kosinski, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Chad Oman.
Kosinski directs from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger with the story by Kosinski and Kruger. The film is executive produced by Daniel Lupi. Collaborating with Kosinski behind the scenes are his creative team, including director of photography Claudio Miranda, production designers Mark Tildesley and Ben Munro, editor Stephen Mirrione, costume designer Julian Day, casting director Lucy Bevan and composer Hans Zimmer.
Beyond the box office, “F1 The Movie” has ignited a global music phenomenon with F1® The Album, the star-studded, high-octane soundtrack that has surged past 650,000 albums sold worldwide and over one billion global streams. Currently dominating Billboard’s Top Movie Songs chart with seven of the top ten tracks, the album is powered by Tate McRae’s two-time VMA-nominated smash hit “Just Keep Watching.” With over four billion views across short-form video platforms, F1® The Album has become a defining music moment of 2025 and a vital part of the film’s cultural impact.
Apple Original Films and Warner Bros. Pictures present A Monolith Pictures / Jerry Bruckheimer / Plan B Entertainment / Dawn Apollo Films Production, A Joseph Kosinski Film, “F1 The Movie,” distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity. Ahead of its global streaming debut on Apple TV, the film continues to be available for purchase on participating digital platforms, including the Apple TV app, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and more.
About Apple TV
Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation, and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.
MacDailyNews Take: Dropping the “+” accomplishes the near-impossible by making the “Apple TV” pants dump of a naming scheme even more putrid.
We don’t call ’em “Apple’s crack marketing team,” for nothing!
Note that Apple’s “Apple TV+” page still refers to it as “Apple TV+.” (rolls eyes)
So, now, in our expert buying advice: You should get an Apple TV to run Apple TV to watch Apple TV, m’kay?
One major product naming goal is to concisely and instantly convey to potential customers what a product is and does. We find that goal particularly humorous when trying to explain Apple TV, Apple TV+, and the Apple TV app to normal people who don’t have time for obtaining doctoral degrees.
The process involved in product naming can take months or years to complete. Some key steps include specifying the branding objectives, developing the product name itself, evaluating names through target market testing and focus groups, choosing a final product name, and marketing it with clarity. Obviously, with “Apple TV,” Apple hasn’t bothered with any of this.
Every day, we thank Jobs that there is no line of Apple TV TVs. – MacDailyNews, May 18, 2020
Explaining Apple TV Channels to an average (non-techie) person is an exercise in frustration. That’s partly because of the major holdouts (i.e. Netflix) and partly due to Apple’s fetid naming swamp (Apple TV, Apple TV HD, Apple TV 4K, Apple TV+, Apple TV App, Apple TV Channels). Ay yi yi. – MacDailyNews, June 17, 2020
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