Apple TV on Friday unveiled the trailer for “The Dynasty: UConn Huskies,” which chronicles the 40-year run of the renowned University of Connecticut (UConn) women’s basketball program under Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma. Directed and executive produced by Emmy Award winner Matthew Hamachek and Emmy Award nominee Erica Sashin, the highly anticipated three-part docuseries from Skydance Sports premieres globally on Apple TV on Friday, August 21, 2026.

“The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” is a sweeping three-part documentary event chronicling the rise of the most dominant program in college basketball history. Featuring exclusive interviews with the 2025 National Championship team and legendary voices spanning generations of UConn basketball, the series explores the pursuit of excellence, the expectations that accompany sustained success, and the people who upheld that standard across generations. Through never-before-seen archival footage and intimate access, the series digs into the obsession, pressure, sacrifices and ruthless culture that transformed a basketball program into an unrivaled phenomenon.

The series reflects on the legacy that built the program and offers a rare, inside look at the players carrying it forward through in-depth conversations with coaches, athletes, alumni, rivals and journalists across generations of UConn basketball, including KK Arnold, Auriemma, Sue Bird, Paige Bueckers, Jim Calhoun, Swin Cash, Chris Dailey, Mickie DeMoss, Jana El Alfy, Jamelle Elliott, Azzi Fudd, Jeff Goldberg, Sally Jenkins, Steve Kerr, Rebecca Lobo, Jackie MacMullan, Maya Moore, Alexa Philippou, Shea Ralph, Semeka Randall, Jennifer Rizzotti, Breanna Stewart, Sarah Strong, Diana Taurasi, and Tamika Williams-Jeter.

“The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” is a Skydance Sports production, with Learfield Studios and Revue Studios executive producing. Executive producers are Jesse Sisgold, Jason T. Reed, Jon Weinbach, Lauren Gaffney, Sashin, Hamachek, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Grant Jones, Jon Liebman, and Zoe Rogovin.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 850 wins and 3,752 award nominations and counting including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.

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MacDailyNews Note: 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 4K, 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 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Just one day after its global premiere on July 15, 2026, Anya Taylor-Joy’s high-stakes limited series “Lucky” has stormed to the top of Apple TV’s streaming charts in the United States, dethroning established hits like “Silo” and claiming the platform’s overall top spot.

The seven-episode crime thriller, which dropped its first two episodes on premiere day with weekly releases to follow, has generated massive buzz thanks to Taylor-Joy’s magnetic lead performance and a stacked ensemble cast. Early viewership data from FlixPatrol confirms the explosive debut, signaling strong audience appetite for glossy, twist-filled thrillers this summer.

A High-Octane Return to the Small Screen

In Lucky, Taylor-Joy stars as Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong, a reformed con artist whose carefully rebuilt life unravels after a multimillion-dollar heist goes disastrously wrong. Forced back into the criminal underworld she escaped years earlier, she finds herself pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless mob boss (played with icy menace by Annette Bening). The series blends pulse-pounding chases, family betrayals, and moral dilemmas, all set against glamorous backdrops like Las Vegas penthouses and sun-baked desert highways.

Taylor-Joy, who also executive produces through her Ladykiller banner alongside Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, delivers a layered, physically demanding turn that echoes the breakout intensity of “The Queen’s Gambit” while showcasing the action prowess she honed in films like Furiosa. Supporting players Timothy Olyphant (as Lucky’s complicated father), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (as a determined FBI agent), Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins Jr., and William Fichtner round out a cast that critics are already praising for elevating the material.

Created by Jonathan Tropper and co-showrun with Cassie Pappas, “Lucky” adapts Marissa Stapley’s bestselling 2021 novel (a Reese’s Book Club pick). The production shot in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, wrapping principal photography in 2025 before arriving with sleek marketing and an adrenalized trailer that teased its mix of glamour, deception, and survival.

Why the Instant Success?

Apple TV has seen sustained hits from Taylor-Joy before — her 2025 sci-fi thriller “The Gorge” lingered on charts for hundreds of days — but “Lucky” marks her triumphant return to limited series television. The timing couldn’t be better: summer viewing habits favor bingeable, escapist fare, and the show’s weekly episode drops build anticipation without overwhelming audiences.

Early reviews highlight Taylor-Joy’s star power and the series’ slick production values, even as some note familiar genre tropes. Its rapid climb to #1 underscores Apple’s strategy of leveraging A-list talent and book adaptations to drive subscriptions.

With new episodes dropping every Wednesday through August 19th, Lucky is poised to maintain momentum. Whether it sustains its chart dominance like Apple’s other long-runners remains to be seen, but its opening salvo has already proven one thing: audiences are feeling very lucky indeed.

MacDailyNews Note: 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 4K, 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 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Apple TV on Thursday announced an all-new season five of the beloved, award-winning animated kids and family series “Stillwater,” premiering with five episodes on Friday, August 21, 2026. Based on the bestselling Scholastic “Zen” book series by Jon J Muth, “Stillwater” follows a wise panda who teaches three young siblings about the world and each other. The series centers on siblings Karl (Judah Mackey), Addy (Eva Ariel Binder) and Michael (Tucker Chandler), who encounter everyday challenges — big and small — which sometimes feel insurmountable. Fortunately for these three, they have Stillwater (James Sie), a wise panda, as their next-door neighbor. Through his example, stories and gentle humor, Stillwater teaches the children the concept of mindfulness, while offering them a deeper understanding of their feelings as well as tools that help them face their own day-to-day challenges. “Stillwater” is produced for Apple TV by Gaumont and Scholastic Entertainment.

Take a deep breath and embrace your inner peace by embarking on a fun adventure with the first four seasons of “Stillwater” available on Apple TV. Through breathing exercises, mindful moments and simple everyday practices, this uplifting, Peabody and Daytime Emmy Award-winning series invites you and your family to discover your own zen through each episode. “Stillwater” was produced through Apple TV’s changemakers initiative in collaboration with awareness and intention expert Mallika Chopra, author of “Buddha and the Rose” and the “Just Be” series for kids.

Gaumont and Scholastic Entertainment produce, with Sidonie Dumas, Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian, Iole Lucchese, Caitlin Friedman, Jef Kaminsky, Jun Falkenstein and Rob Hoegee serving as executive producers. In addition, the series features the voice talents of Sie, Binder, Chandler and Mackey.

The exciting slate of recent offerings for kids and families on Apple TV also features “My Brother the Minotaur,” from Academy Award-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon and award-winning children’s media company Dog Ears; “Wonder Pets: In the City,” from Emmy Award winner Jennifer Oxley and produced by Nickelodeon Animation; animated adventure trilogy “WondLa,” based on the New York Times bestselling book series “The Search for WondLa” by Tony DiTerlizzi; highly anticipated kids and family series “Yo Gabba GabbaLand!” inspired by the hit, Emmy Award-nominated cultural phenomenon “Yo Gabba Gabba!”; season two of Emmy Award-winning “Shape Island,” based on the internationally bestselling picture books from Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen; animated fantasy adventure series “The Sisters Grimm,” based on Michael Buckley’s New York Times bestselling book series; the music-driven animated comedy series “BE@RBRICK” from DreamWorks Animation; “Goldie,” inspired by Emily Brundige’s award-winning 2019 short film of the same name, and many more.

Award-winning all-ages offerings now streaming globally on Apple TV also include the BAFTA Award and Emmy Award-winning live-action animated hybrid special “The Velveteen Rabbit,” BAFTA Award and Humanitas Prize-winning “El Deafo,” BAFTA Award-winning “Lovely Little Farm,” “Duck & Goose,” “Get Rolling With Otis,” Spin Master Entertainment’s “Sago Mini Friends,” Emmy Award-winning “Frog and Toad,” based on the Caldecott and Newbery Honor-winning books, Annie Award-nominated “Not a Box,” GLAAD Media Award-nominated “Pinecone & Pony,” The Jim Henson Company’s Emmy Award-winning “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock,” “Harriet the Spy” and “Slumberkins,” Sesame Workshop’s “Helpsters,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt, HITRECORD and Bento Box Entertainment’s “Wolfboy and the Everything Factory,” Jack McBrayer and Angela C. Santomero’s and Emmy Award-nominated “Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show.” Live-action offerings include “Me,” an elevated cinematic coming-of-age story from Barry L. Levy, Bonnie Hunt’s DGA Award and WGA Award-nominated “Amber Brown,” DGA Award-winning “Best Foot Forward,” “Surfside Girls,” WGA Award-winning “Life By Ella,” Sesame Workshop and Sinking Ship’s Emmy Award-winning “Ghostwriter,” Emmy Award and Environmental Media Association Award-winning “Jane,” and Scholastic’s “Puppy Place.” “Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth,” the Emmy Award-winning television event based on the New York Times bestselling book and TIME Best Book of the Year by Oliver Jeffers, is also featured.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 850 wins and 3,737 award nominations and counting including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.

MacDailyNews Note: 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 4K, 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 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Major League Soccer (MLS) returns to Apple TV tomorrow, July 16, as regular-season play resumes and the league welcomes fans back following a monthlong break for the FIFA World Cup.

Apple TV subscribers in more than 100 countries and regions can watch every MLS match with no blackouts. Subscribers also receive comprehensive coverage and analysis, exclusive content, and access to matches beyond the regular season, including the annual Leagues Cup tournament, Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup, MLS All-Star Game, and Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.

All 30 clubs return to action following the World Cup Final, with six marquee matchups scheduled across July 16 and 17. Highlights include the Cascadia Cup rivalry between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers, a Southern showdown between Nashville SC and Atlanta United FC, and the latest edition of El Tráfico featuring the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Football Club.

A record 45 MLS players, representing 22 clubs and 17 countries, participated in the 2026 World Cup, with many expected to return to their clubs this week as the league resumes regular-season play. Among them are eight players who represented the United States, including Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who helped the U.S. achieve its best group-stage finish at the World Cup. The group also includes Columbus Crew defender Steven Moreira, who started every match for Cape Verde as the Blue Sharks made an unforgettable run to the round of 32 in the nation’s first-ever World Cup, and nine Canadian internationals, led by Orlando City SC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who played every minute of Canada’s historic tournament as the nation earned its first World Cup victory and advanced to the knockout stage for the first time.

Other MLS players also made history at the World Cup, led by soccer icon and Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi, who further cemented his legacy by becoming the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. Messi has scored eight goals while captaining Argentina in its pursuit of a second consecutive World Cup title.

New international stars add even more excitement to the MLS restart this summer. Antoine Griezmann, the decorated French international and 2018 World Cup champion, has joined Orlando City SC after spending 10 seasons with Spanish giant Atlético Madrid, where he became the club’s all-time leading scorer. Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, who started all three of his nation’s World Cup matches, has joined the San Jose Earthquakes, while Polish striker and global soccer icon Robert Lewandowski signed with the Chicago Fire during the summer transfer window.

On July 16, Lewandowski will face longtime FC Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Müller, now with the Vancouver Whitecaps, when Chicago hosts Vancouver at Soldier Field. The matchup reunites one of soccer’s most prolific attacking duos, adding another marquee storyline to the MLS season. EA SPORTS FC Mobile players can watch the match live through a simulcast of Apple TV’s broadcast on FCM TV, the game’s in-app streaming platform. Eligible EA SPORTS FC 26 and EA SPORTS FC Mobile players can also get in-game access to a one-month free trial of Apple TV.

Stay Up to Date with Major League Soccer on Apple Sports

Fans can stay on top of the latest scores, stats, and standings for their favorite clubs throughout the MLS season on the free Apple Sports app for iPhone. Users can easily navigate between scores and upcoming matches; explore visual lineup formations, play-by-play information, and team stats; and tap to watch matches on the Apple TV app.

Apple Fitness+ Time to Walk with Thomas Müller

Time to Walk is an Apple Fitness+ audio experience for iPhone and Apple Watch, designed to help people walk more often by featuring guests who share stories, photos, and songs that have shaped their lives. The new episode invites listeners to walk with German soccer legend and Vancouver Whitecaps star Thomas Müller as he reflects on the hard work he put in before his career took off and shares why he welcomes the challenge of big life changes.

More Ways to Celebrate the Return of MLS

On Apple Music, fans can enjoy exclusive club- and player-curated selections, including a new Warm-Up Playlist for Real Salt Lake star Diego Luna. Fans can also look forward to more exclusive music content coming throughout the season, including playlists from Inter Miami’s Dayne St. Clair and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Sebastian Berhalter — fresh off their return from the World Cup. Explore the Sounds of MLS playlists on Apple Music at apple.co/AM-MLS.

Apple Maps users can explore dedicated Matchday Guides created by MLS clubs and city guides created by players to find recommendations for local restaurants to catch a game, explore city favorites, get detailed information about their stadiums, and more.

To mark the return of Major League Soccer, adidas will host a two-day celebration at the adidas Home of Soccer in Brooklyn, New York, on July 16 and 17, featuring watch parties, appearances by MLS players, an MLS jersey showcase, and additional fan experiences.
Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut.

Commercial establishments now have multiple ways to bring Apple TV’s live sports portfolio to their patrons. With DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS, customers can also access Apple TV’s live sports programming at more than 300,000 sports bars, restaurants, hotels, and other commercial venues. EverPass offers commercial establishments access to Apple TV’s complete live sports portfolio — including every MLS match, Formula 1 in the U.S., and “Friday Night Baseball” — through its EverPass Core package.
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MacDailyNews Note: 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 4K, 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 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Apple TV on Wednesday revealed first look images and the season two premiere date for celebrated German-language dark comedy series “Where’s Wanda?” Produced by UFA Fiction, the eight-episode season stars International Emmy Award nominee Heike Makatsch (“Love Actually”), German Comedy Award winner Axel Stein (“The Vault”), multiple award-winning actress Lea Drinda (“The Gryphon”), Leo Simon, and Nikeata Thompson (“Späti”). Season two will make its global debut on Apple TV with one episode on Wednesday, October 21, followed by a new episode weekly through Wednesday, December 9, 2026.

In season two, the Klatts (Makatsch and Stein) are back! Just as they thought their lives were finally returning to normal, their daughter, Wanda (Drinda), is caught seemingly red-handed standing over a dead body. They will need to do everything in their power to prove her innocence and avoid losing her again, as their investigation to find the real murderer takes them into the criminal underbelly of their sleepy suburban town. But will their quest to protect their family get them all out of trouble, or ultimately lead them further astray? And can they find out the truth of what happened on that fateful day before it’s too late?

Hailing from UFA Fiction, a Fremantle company, “Where’s Wanda?” season two is created, written and executive produced by Royal Television Society nominee Oliver Lansley (“Flack”), alongside multiple award-winning executive producer Nataly Kudiabor (“Arthur’s Law”) and Oliver Ossege (“Helgoland 513”). The series was co-created and based on a story by Zoltan Spirandelli (“Vaya con Dios”) and is directed by critically acclaimed, award-winning filmmakers Tobi Baumann (“Faking Hitler”) and Christian Ditter (“How To Be Single”).

Following its global debut, “Where’s Wanda?” has been hailed as an “electrifying,” “standout” series keeping “viewers on the edge of their seats” with “a unique blend of dark comedy and suspense,” and featuring “immensely likable, and often affecting performances” by its “talented cast.” Season one achieved a rare perfect 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans applaud the “beautiful” show as the “kind of gem Apple only seems capable of creating” and “a compelling new addition” to Apple TV’s “expanding international offerings.”

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 850 wins and 3,737 award nominations and counting including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.

MacDailyNews Note: 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 4K, 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 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Written by Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas and based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel, “Lucky” centers on a young woman (Anya Taylor-Joy) who left behind the life of crime she was raised in years ago, but must now embrace her darker, criminal side one final time in a desperate attempt to escape her past.

Apple TV’s seven-episode series premieres this Wednesday.

Mark Kennedy for The Independent:
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Anya Taylor-Joy finds herself in a familiar setting this summer: In the desert, fighting to stay alive.

She did it in “Furiosa” and the upcoming “Dune: Part Three.” Now she’s under the blazing California sun for “Lucky,” a propulsive Apple TV crime thriller that has her trading blows with goons, bloodying her otherworldly face.

“Listen, I’ve been to the desert so many times at this point it’s kind of unreal. I don’t look like a desert creature, and yet I’m always there and I love it,” says the actor. “People like to see me struggle, and they like me to survive. And, luckily, I enjoy doing it, too, so it works out.”

Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company approached Taylor-Joy with the book, asking her to not just consider leading the series as an actor but also offering to make her debut as an executive producer.

“I remember crossing my fingers and thinking, ‘God, I really hope I like this book.’ And then I did and I fell in love with Lucky and I felt that I had something to contribute in this space, which I think if you’re coming on as an executive producer is the feeling that you want to have,” says Taylor-Joy.

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MacDailyNews Take: Congrats to Taylor-Joy on her first executive producing gig!

MacDailyNews Note: 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 4K, 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 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Ahead of the highly anticipated fourth season of the global phenomenon “Ted Lasso,” Apple TV hosted a weekend of events in celebration of the series in Coach Ted Lasso’s hometown of Kansas City. Emmy Award-winning star and executive producer Jason Sudeikis, along with series stars Juno Temple, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, and Abbie Hern, were in attendance for a press conference at CPKC Stadium, a special “Ted Lasso” Night fan event, and a screening of the fourth season’s debut episode at Regnier Extreme Screen in Kansas City.

The 10-episode fourth season of “Ted Lasso” will premiere on Apple TV with the first episode on August 5, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through October 7, 2026. In season four, Ted returns to Richmond, taking on his biggest challenge yet: coaching a second division women’s football team. Throughout the course of the season, Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would.

Season four marks the return of fan favorites, including Emmy Award winner Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Emmy Award winner Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift, alongside new additions Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsay, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern and Grant Feely.

“Ted Lasso” season four adds Emmy Award winner Jack Burditt as executive producer under a new overall deal with Apple TV. Jason Sudeikis stars and executive produces alongside Hunt, Joe Kelly, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee, and Bill Wrubel. Goldstein serves as writer and executive producer alongside Leann Bowen. Sarah Walker and Phoebe Walsh serve as writers and producers for season four, and Sasha Garron co-produces. Bill Lawrence executive produces via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of NBCUniversal content. Doozer’s Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer also serve as executive producers. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Kelly,, and Hunt, and is based on the preexisting format and characters from NBC Sports.

Following its global debut on Apple TV, “Ted Lasso” broke records and quickly earned praise from fans and critics all over the world. The first season became the most Emmy Award-nominated comedy series, and the series went on to land rare back-to-back Outstanding Comedy Series Emmys for its first two seasons on air.

The first three seasons of “Ted Lasso” are now streaming globally on Apple TV.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 850 wins and 3,734 award nominations and counting including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.

MacDailyNews Note: 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 4K, 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 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Apple TV has achieved a notable milestone in the fiercely competitive U.S. streaming market, rising to become the fourth-largest subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platform according to the latest JustWatch Q2 2026 Market Shares report.

The data, based on more than 45 million streaming interactions tracked via the JustWatch app and website across more than 320 SVOD services, measures shifts in user interest and engagement (including searches, clicks, and watchlist additions) over the past three months.

Q2 2026 U.S. SVOD Market Shares (JustWatch)

• Netflix: 20%
• Amazon Prime Video: 15%
• Disney+: 13%
• Apple TV: 13%
• Hulu: 11%
• Max (formerly HBO Max): 10%
• Peacock Premium: 4%
• Paramount+: 3%
• PBS: 2%
• Starz: 1%
• Other services: 4%

Apple TV gained 1 percentage point in the quarter and an impressive 5 percentage points year-over-year — the strongest annual growth among major platforms. This surge allowed it to overtake Hulu and Max and secure sole possession of fourth place.

Netflix continues to lead, but saw some quarterly softening in prior periods before rebounding slightly. Prime Video remains a strong second despite flatter annual performance. Disney+ holds steady in third.

Subscriber Context and Apple’s Strategy

Apple does not publicly disclose exact subscriber numbers for Apple TV. Industry estimates place global paid subscribers around 45 million as of late 2025/early 2026 vs. Netflix (300M+ paid), Amazon Prime Video (200M+ global users), and Disney+ (131.6 million paid).

However, Apple TV punches above its weight in the U.S. thanks to deep integration with Apple’s hardware ecosystem. Promotional offers (such as three free months with new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV purchases) and bundling through Apple One help drive adoption. The service maintains a premium, ad-free positioning while competitors have widely adopted ad-supported tiers.

High-quality originals continue to fuel momentum. Acclaimed titles like Severance, Shrinking, and others have driven record viewership in recent periods. Looking ahead, Apple’s multi-year exclusive U.S. rights to Formula 1 (starting in 2026) represent a significant expansion into live sports, potentially broadening its appeal.

Broader Streaming Landscape

The U.S. SVOD market remains dynamic. While scale leaders Netflix and Prime Video dominate overall, mid-tier services are closing gaps through content quality, user experience, and bundling. Many households now subscribe to multiple services (often 4–6 on average), increasing competition for attention and wallet share.

Apple TV’s strong engagement growth signals that a focused, high-production-value approach can resonate even without the massive libraries of its larger rivals.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple TV’s momentum is accelerating in a competitive market thanks to its focus on premium content; quality over quantity (even as the quantity continues to grow)!

Note on methodology: JustWatch’s figures reflect engagement and interest on its platform rather than total subscribers, paid viewing hours, or revenue. This can differ from other rankings (e.g., those from Parks Associates or analyst estimates focused on subscriber counts).

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The post Apple TV climbs to fourth-largest SVOD platform in the U.S. with strongest annual growth appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Apple TV has released the first trailer for “The Dynasty: UConn Huskies,” an upcoming sports documentary series about the historic rise of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball program. The preview brings together championship footage, private locker-room moments, archival clips and interviews with some of the biggest players in UConn history. What is The Dynasty: […]

The post Apple TV unveils first trailer for ‘The Dynasty: UConn Huskies’ appeared first on The Mac Observer.

The horror comedy show Widow’s Bay is officially the most popular Emmy-nominated series among American streaming audiences right now. The Apple show easily claimed the top spot in viewer interest during this awards season. According to recent streaming data, it completely outpaced other heavily nominated shows in pure viewer engagement. It achieved this high rank […]

The post Widow’s Bay Leads U.S. Emmy Nominees In Streaming Popularity appeared first on The Mac Observer.

Apple TV has confirmed the release date for Stillwater season 5, giving families another collection of gentle stories focused on emotions, friendship, and everyday challenges. The animated series will return globally on Friday, August 21, 2026, with all five new episodes arriving together. The new season continues the award-winning story of siblings Karl, Addy, and […]

The post Apple TV Confirms Stillwater Season 5 Release Date, All Episodes Arrive This August appeared first on The Mac Observer.

Learn how to increase the system text size on Apple TV in tvOS 27 if you have difficulty seeing the on-screen options in their default size.

Acapulco Imagen Awards recognition has given Apple TV’s bilingual comedy one more victory after its fourth and final season. The series leads the 41st Annual Imagen Awards with 13 nominations, placing its cast, directors, music team and production among the year’s most celebrated examples of Latino creative work.

The Imagen Foundation announced the nominations Thursday as part of its annual program recognizing Latino talent and representation across film, television, music, documentaries and digital media. Acapulco received more nominations than any other series, including recognition for Best Comedy Series and multiple acting and directing performances.

The awards organization also announced that actor, filmmaker, producer and musician Andy Garcia will receive its Lifetime Achievement Award. Garcia is separately nominated for his supporting performance in Landman, giving the ceremony another connection between a career-spanning honor and current screen work.

For Apple TV, the nominations extend the life of a series that completed its run in September 2025. Acapulco may have checked out of Las Colinas, but the Imagen Awards are giving the resort one more crowded week.

Acapulco Imagen Awards Reach Across the Production

The 13 nominations show how widely the Imagen Foundation recognized the series rather than concentrating only on its lead actors.

Acapulco is nominated for Best Comedy Series, while Oscar Almengor and Santiago Limón both received Best Director nominations. Javier Nuño and Joe Rodríguez were recognized for Best Music Supervision for Film or Television.

Enrique Arrizon and Camila Perez are both nominated in the Best Actor — Comedy category. Although the category name uses “Actor,” the Imagen Foundation placed performers of different genders together in the 2026 comedy field.

The supporting categories gave Acapulco an especially strong presence. Eugenio Derbez, Fernando Carsa, Carlos Corona and Cristo Fernández received Best Supporting Actor — Comedy nominations. Vanessa Bauche and Keyla Monterroso Mejia are nominated for Best Supporting Actress — Comedy.

That distribution reflects the ensemble structure that allowed Acapulco to run for four seasons. The series used Máximo Gallardo’s memories as its entry point, but Las Colinas worked because the hotel was filled with characters whose ambitions, friendships and disasters could carry stories of their own.

The show’s visual identity often received attention first. Its bright colors, resort setting and polished 1980s design made it easy to recognize within seconds. The Imagen nominations reach beyond that appearance and recognize the performances, direction and music that gave the setting its emotional rhythm.

A Final Season That Kept the Ensemble Moving

The fourth season returned to Las Colinas with two connected timelines. In the present day, Máximo worked to restore the hotel before its reopening. In 1986, his younger self tried to protect Las Colinas after a competing resort claimed the top position in Acapulco’s annual hotel rankings.

That structure allowed the series to close the distance between the ambitious young employee played by Arrizon and the successful older man played by Derbez. The final episodes had to complete character relationships, resolve the hotel’s future and explain how youthful choices shaped the life Máximo later built.

The Imagen nominations suggest the final season avoided becoming a farewell built only around nostalgia. Its actors remained competitive across several categories, and both nominated directors received recognition for guiding individual parts of the closing chapter.

Acapulco also maintained its bilingual identity throughout the run. English and Spanish were not treated as occasional flavor or a translation exercise. They reflected the characters, workplace and cultural setting. That helped the series reach an international audience without removing the Mexican identity at its center.

For Apple TV, that combination provided a comedy that could travel globally while remaining tied to a specific place and community.

Apple TV Earns Recognition Beyond One Series

Acapulco delivered Apple TV’s largest Imagen Awards presence, but it was not the service’s only nominated production.

Pluribus received a nomination for Best Drama Series, while Carlos-Manuel Vesga was nominated for Best Supporting Actor — Drama. The Morning Show earned nominations for director Miguel Arteta and supporting actor Nestor Carbonell.

Peter Dager of Stick joined Carbonell in the supporting comedy category, while Mariana Treviño received a Best Supporting Actress — Comedy nomination for the same series. Isabella Gomez was recognized for Shrinking, and Aimee Carrero received a nomination for Your Friends & Neighbors.

Apple’s animated series also appeared in the youth category, with WondLa and Wonder Pets: In the City both nominated for Best Youth Programming. Harvey Guillén received a Best Voice-Over Actor nomination for Shape Island.

The broader list reinforces Apple TV’s ability to attract Latino performers and creators across genres rather than through one designated cultural title. Drama, workplace comedy, animation and mystery all contributed to the service’s presence.

Acapulco remains the centerpiece because its 13 nominations represent recognition of an entire production, not a single breakout performance.

Andy Garcia Receives a Career Honor

Andy Garcia’s Lifetime Achievement Award gives the ceremony a different scale. His career has moved through major studio films, independent productions, television, directing, producing and music over several decades.

Garcia became widely known through films including The Untouchables, Internal Affairs, The Godfather Part III and Ocean’s Eleven. His performance as Vincent Mancini in The Godfather Part III earned him an Academy Award nomination, while later roles allowed him to move between crime drama, comedy, family stories and television.

His Imagen recognition also reflects a career shaped by Cuban American identity without limiting him to one type of role. Garcia has frequently spoken about cultural representation, creative ownership and the difficulty of bringing Latino-centered stories through the traditional Hollywood system.

The Lifetime Achievement Award arrives while Garcia remains active rather than functioning as a retirement tribute. His nomination for Landman places him directly inside the current awards field he is being asked to help represent.

That combination suits the Imagen Foundation’s mission. The honor recognizes longevity, but it also connects Garcia’s career with the actors, directors and producers building the next generation of Latino entertainment.

A Strong Farewell for Las Colinas

Acapulco ended after four seasons, which makes the scale of its Imagen recognition especially satisfying. The series did not need a fifth season announcement to extend its cultural presence. Its final production year generated enough work to lead an entire awards field.

The show also leaves Apple TV with a useful model for international programming. Acapulco was local without being narrow, bilingual without turning language into a gimmick and colorful without allowing its visual style to replace character development.

Its 13 nominations cover the exact areas that sustained that model: acting, direction, music and the series as a whole. The result is less like one last souvenir from Las Colinas and more like a full luggage cart.

Winners of the 41st Annual Imagen Awards will be announced during the ceremony in August. Acapulco will arrive with the largest number of chances, while Andy Garcia receives an honor that extends far beyond one performance or season.

The hotel may have closed its final television chapter, but the Imagen Awards have found 13 reasons to reopen the doors.

The post Acapulco Leads Imagen Awards With 13 Nominations appeared first on AppleMagazine.

Ready to capitalize on FIFA World Cup buzz, Major League Soccer returns to Apple TV this week with familiar faces on the field.

(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Analyst Dan Rayburn, on (sigh) LinkedIn:

Going forward, Apple TV hardware is now essentially dead. Last month, Apple raised the price of its Apple TV 4K Wi-Fi (64GB) from $129 to $199, while the Apple TV 4K Wi-Fi + Ethernet (128GB) now costs $249, up from $169. That’s a major increase for hardware that hasn’t changed since its 2022 debut…. I don’t envision anyone in the market spending $200 on a streaming device.

Leaving aside Rayburn’s bizarre complaints in his post about Apple TV audio format support (which reflects nothing I’ve seen and sounds more like a user grinding a personal axe), this is a classic example of something we don’t see around these parts much anymore: The market share argument.

Apple’s strategies used to be attacked by the market share argument all the time. The premise is this: If you don’t have market share, nothing else matters. You could be making a profit. You could be serving a nice niche audience that is happy with your product. You could, in fact, be servicing your own lucrative ecosystem rather than focusing on competing with companies that are happy to race to the bottom.

Or as Rayburn puts it:

Of course, Apple has never competed on price and has shocked many by refusing to compete in the living room. Apple prioritizes the premium experience of its tvOS platform over low-margin hardware without home-screen ads and promoted content. 

So the Apple TV is dead because of the (admittedly ridiculous) recent price hikes… but also, Apple has always “refuse[d] to compete in the living room” and made the heinous decision of prioritizing a “premium experience” over cheap boxes stuffed with ads and paid marketing. Apple TV was always mostly dead, because Apple has never deigned to make a $20 streaming stick infested with ads, but this price hike is the final stake in the heart?

Okay.

I have always been frustrated with the price of Apple’s TV box. And it’s ridiculous now—those are prices that should only be applied to brand-new models with great functionality, not to stale years-old hardware. But Apple’s competition in this market is selling $20 sticks at Walmart. They’re monetizing through TV licensing deals and aggressive user tracking, including logging everything you watch so that it can be used to profile you.

As for Apple not being competitive, the Apple TV used to start at $129, and the Roku Ultra is $100, so in the premium segment where Apple plays, they weren’t that far off. Now they’re twice as expensive, which is rough.

In his post, Rayburn concedes that “A small minority of users might purchase the hardware to stay in the Apple ecosystem, but that won’t increase Apple’s market share.” His point is that market share matters for TV streaming boxes because streamers won’t ultimately bother to support the platform at all if nobody’s using it.

I think that’s poor analysis, because I’m positive Apple TV owners are more engaged with their devices and probably have extremely favorable demographics compared to the users of a $20 streaming stick. Also, those streamers will be building iOS apps anyway, at which point it feels like tvOS apps just aren’t far enough removed. In fact, some streamers like building apps for tvOS because they can show off advanced features (like on-device multiview) that cheap boxes just can’t handle.

I came across Rayburn’s post via this post from Janko Roettgers, which is all about installing custom home screens to Android TV boxes. Why would you do that? Roettgers writes:

Monet is just one of a number of home screen replacements (or launchers, as they’re called among Android enthusiasts) that takes cues from Apple TV to bring a new sense of minimalism to Google’s streaming platform. Most of these launchers do away with the endless rows of content recommendations, the big hero images that try to get you hooked on the latest TV shows, and the increasing amount of ads and sponsored content.

“Honestly, the stock Google TV launcher [keeps] getting worse,” [Monet developer Nico] Klein says. “It’s clunky and full of ads. It actively gets in the way of what users are trying to do. You have to fight your way through a jungle of menus just to get where you actually want to go, it’s just not intuitive.”

Sounds fun. When I tried out a bunch of non-Apple streaming boxes last year, I pretty much found the same. The whole space is infested with this kind of garbage and clutter.

Apple TV has plenty of reasons to keep on living. But it sure would be nice if Apple would show the product some attention beyond the massive price increases. Attention like new hardware, OS improvements, and (eventually) a price that makes it less of a hard sell to people who are desperate to escape the garbage of all the other streamer-box platforms.

My Apple TV has started yelling at me. Or at the very least, the Disney+ app on the Apple TV is now clamoring for my attention.

It used to be that when I fired up Disney Plus on my Apple TV, I could browse for something to watch in relative peace. But at some point, an update must have come along that caused the app to break its previously inviolable vow of silence. Because now, when I hover over the thumbnail for a particular movie or show, a preview starts to autoplay.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the latest Avatar picture or something from Pixar or even a Hulu original that now lives in Disney’s app — one moment of hesitation, and a preview plays until I move on to the next thumbnail and the cycle begins anew. New season of The Bear? Preview. An Indiana Jones picture? Preview. X-Men ’97? A particularly angering preview that doesn’t even feature Gambit, for crying out loud.

Disney’s Apple TV app is not alone in blasting previews whether I want them or not. In the land of streaming services, you are dealing with an attention economy, and the purveyors of streaming apps have decided the only way to command that attention is to shout as loud as possible. Hence, nearly every app from every streaming service of note turns on auto-playing previews by default, no matter how you feel about them.

And make no mistake — I feel that auto-playing just about anything is an assault on my senses. When I am trying to decide what to watch, I want to pause on a thumbnail and maybe glance at the information a bit without having to hastily scroll away once audio and video playback begin. Maybe I want to have a conversation with a family member about whether this is a program we both might enjoy without having to shout over some Na’Vi chittering at me about some sort of trouble brewing on Pandora.

The good news is that Apple TV apps have a setting for turning off autoplay previews so that you can go back to browsing through a streaming catalog in blessed silence. But there’s bad news, too — each app seemingly puts that setting in a completely different place, and it’s up to you to hunt down where that might be.

Should Apple impose some order on tvOS apps and require some degree of standardization when it comes to autoplay settings? Or should it go one step further and tell developers not to turn on that feature by default so as to spare the eardrums of paying customers? It’s not for me to say, even though the answer is emphatically yes to both questions.

But I fear my wisdom will fall upon deaf ears — and not just because they’ve already been deafened by all those autoplaying previews. So instead, I can do the next best thing, which is share the hard-won knowledge I have on how to turn off autoplay features in all the big streaming apps that might be living on your Apple TV.

Please don’t thank me. The silence is reward enough.

Apple TV

Apple’s TV app will start to preview content from the Apple TV streaming service if you let it. That’s certainly Apple’s right, but maybe I don’t want to hear about Your Friends and Neighbors each time I launch Apple’s app.

To make Apple TV shut up about the new season of Ted Lasso, go to the Settings app and select Accessibility, followed by Motion. Toggling off Auto-Play Video previews should, in Apple’s words, control whether you allow “video content to auto-play in apps like TV.” In my experience, though, the only app this setting seems to control is TV itself. For third-party apps, you’ll need to dive into settings on your own.

Tubi, HBO Max, but not really Paramount+

Tubi has among the easiest autoplay settings to disable, which is good because it also has the most annoying autoplay behavior. Tubi not only starts to play a preview if you momentarily pause while browsing through its vast library, but if you let that preview reach its conclusion, the movie or show will immediately start playing. For heaven’s sake, Tubi, your entire raison d’etre is to let me comb through the back alleys of your content to let me find something obscure to watch — stop ruining this for me!

Anyhow, with Tubi, all you have to do is head to the app’s settings where you select Video. There, you can disable autoplay to your heart’s content. See? Simple.

The story is similar for HBO Max and Paramount+—sort of. On HBO Max, choose Settings and then under the Playback tab, you can turn off a whole variety of autoplay features. In Paramount+, the Settings icon is hidden at the far bottom left of the screen, but if you just keep moving down through the side menu, you will end up selecting the Settings icon and can get where you need to go. All the Autoplay settings are under the Video tab.

Unfortunately, while Paramount+ will let you turn off “autoplay video,” that setting does not stop previews from autoplaying. Instead of letting you do that, Paramount+ gives you the option of holding down the center button on any preview to enter an “immersive preview mode” where they made the whole plane out of the preview. Frankly, yet another reason to give anything with Paramount’s imprimatur on it a wide berth.

Netflix

If Tubi is the easiest app for managing autoplay annoyances, then Netflix may be the worst. That’s because you can’t do it from the app on your Apple TV.

Instead, you need to head to Netflix in your web browser of choice, where you select your profile icon, followed by Account. From there, you select Edit Settings followed by Playback Settings followed once more by Autoplay Controls. There’s a box called Autoplay Preview While Browsing on All Devices — uncheck that and make sure to save your preference. Autoplay should be just a filthy memory the next time you access Netflix on your Apple TV.

Peacock and Disney Plus

I’m lumping these two services together because they put their autoplay controls in the exact same place. That’s not to say that the setting is easy to find, though, as both Peacock and Disney do a bang-up job hiding the control where you would least expect to find it.

In either app, go to the screen with your account profiles and click on the edit icon for the one you want to adjust. On Peacock, under Autoplay Preferences, you’ll see a toggle for Autoplay Trailers. For Disney, the Playback and Language Settings section has Background Video and Background Audio toggles; turning off the former takes care of both, while adjusting just the latter means that video previews will play silently.

Does the fact that this setting lives in the user profiles for both Peacock and Disney Plus mean that you’ll have adjust playback controls for each profile in your account? Indeed, it does!

Amazon Prime Video

Near as I can tell, Amazon Prime Video is the rare streaming app that doesn’t autoplay previews as you’re rummaging through its library of shows and movies. At the very least, nothing autoplays when I’m in the app, and whether that’s because of the overall Apple TV settings I’ve adjusted or something with Amazon itself, I’m satisfied with the result.

So well done, Amazon — I take back some, but only some, of the horrible things I’ve said about you.

It’s July, and Apple TV and Apple Arcade have an interesting lineup, including four games that debuted last week, the return of Silo, one of my favorite Apple TV series, Lucky, a limited series starring Anya Taylor-Joy, and The Dink, a pickleball movie that looks like a lot of fun.

Apple Arcade

Apple Arcade debuted four games last week.

Dungeon Clawler+

The game I’m most curious about this month is Stray Fawn Studio’s Dungeon Clawler+, which Apple says “combines the strategic depth of a roguelike deckbuilder with the unpredictability of an arcade claw machine.” The hook is that instead of drawing cards, you use a claw to grab weapons, shields, and other items that affect your next move.

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Creatures of the Deep+

Creatures of the Deep+ is a single-player fishing adventure that pairs fishing with exploration and mystery. Your job is to embark on the open seas, catch fish, and learn the secrets that lie beneath the waves.

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Pocket City 2+

If you’ve ever played a classic Sim City game, you’ll have a feel for Pocket City 2+. You play as the city’s mayor and are charged with building and maintaining your city, which you can explore on foot as you build.

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Draw It+

Draw It+ challenges players to draw things based on prompts under time pressure. It’s a single-player family-friendly game that can be passed around at a party or played solo, while honing your doodling skills.

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Apple TV Shows and Movies

Silo – Season 3

I only just started Silo, season 2, prompted in part by the release of season 3 last Friday. It’s a fantastic dystopian mystery starring and executive produced by Rebecca Ferguson and created by Graham Yost. If you like a good post-apocalyptic brain teaser, be sure to check the new season.

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Trying, Season Five (July 8, 2026)

This week the acclaimed British comedy Trying returns for a fifth season. Starring and executive produced by Esther Smith and Rafe Spall, the series is a lighthearted look at the ups and downs of family life.

Add to Your Calendar:

• iCal
• Google Calendar

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Lucky (July 15, 2026)

Lucky is a limited series starring Anya Taylor-Joy based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Marissa Stapley. Taylor-Joy plays a young woman whose former life of crime comes back to haunt her, just as she thinks she’s escaped her past.

Add to Your Calendar:

• iCal
• Google Calendar

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The Dink (July 24, 2026)

The Dink is a comedy about a former tennis star played by Jake Johnson who has been reduced to coaching kids at a suburban country club. Johnson, who stars with an ensemble cast that includes Ed Harris, Ben Stiller, and Mary Steenburgen, discovers that he loves pickleball, which just may save the ailing country club.

Add to Your Calendar:

• iCal
• Google Calendar

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That’s it for July. I’m personally looking forward to moving on to season three of Silo once I finish season two and watching Lucky.

If you’re a Club MacStories Plus or Premier member, drop by the TV and Movies channel in Discord to chat about what you’re looking forward to from Apple TV this month, and be sure to listen to MacStories Unwind where we will undoubtedly cover these shows in the coming weeks.

Apple raised the prices of Macs and other products across the board today. For entry-level Macs, the increases are mostly $100–$200. However, if you want a MacBook Pro or Mac Studio with lots of memory and storage, it’s going to cost you dearly. Prices were also raised on the iPad, Vision Pro, Apple TV, HomePods, and many items sold through Apple’s refurbished store.

This should come as no surprise to anyone, but it’s painful just the same. Last week, Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal that price increases were coming without getting into specifics. Apple was able to hold the line on prices for several months, even while smaller gadget and computer makers raised their prices or canceled products altogether.

What’s happening is simple macroeconomics. Demand for memory and storage is vastly outstripping supply, largely due to the insatiable appetite of data centers that power AI services. That demand shows no signs of waning, and supply isn’t as simple as turning a knob to 11. There just aren’t that many makers of memory chips and SSDs, and bringing new plants online to manufacture takes years and billions of dollars.

For now, the price of iPhones has been left alone. Some may see that as a silver lining, but I suspect all it means is that Apple has enough prebuilt inventory to get to September, when new iPhones are announced. Apple Watch and AirPods prices remain the same, too.

Could Apple have avoided this? I doubt it. The magnitude and speed of the price increases and the projected duration are beyond what any reasonable company could or would plan for.

That said, I do think the situation will get better with time, again because of macroeconomics. The increases may preserve Apple’s margins, but it’s going to reduce the number of customers who can afford its products. Margins only equate to profits if you have customers willing to pay for your product. So with time, if the data center demand slackens or new chip capacity comes online, prices will improve. Just don’t expect that anytime before 2027 or 2028 if current projections are to be believed.

Macworld

The FCC plans to vote on repealing local TV ownership limits, including the 39% national audience cap that currently restricts how much of the U.S. market a single broadcast group can reach. Engadget reports: On August 6, commissioners will hold a ballot to repeal Section 303 of the Communications Act, and with it the 39 percent rule. In essence, the rule limits the reach of a local TV network to no more than 39 percent of the U.S.' total audience market. In its place, the FCC would move to a system whereby it would personally approve or reject TV ownership deals on a case-by-case basis. It's not clear if the FCC even has the authority to reject Section 303 without the explicit consent of the legislature. As Lawrence J. Spiwak wrote in the Yale Journal on Regulation back in January, Section 10 of the Communications Act expressly forbids the FCC from bending the rules around Section 303. "Americans no longer trust the legacy national media to report the news fairly or accurately," wrote FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in an op-ed published on Breitbart. "In fact, only eight percent of Americans have a great deal of trust in mass media. That figure is even lower among Republicans -- sitting at a mere three percent." "... Many local broadcast TV stations are getting hollowed out as a result and turning into little more than mouthpieces for programming produced in New York and Hollywood," he alleged. "That is not what Congress or the FCC intended."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.