Apple Tv+ logo.
Apple TV+ is a streaming service owned by Apple Inc.
It was founded in October 2019, and is intended to compete with existing services like Netflix in a medium that apparently is on its way to eclipse broadcast television in popularity. Originally, its content policy was to present only original commissioned productions, such as Snoopy in Space.
However, when this content policy proved unsuccessful in attracting a significant subscriber base, the service moved to acquire pre-existing properties to broaden its appeal. This included acquiring the rights to nearly the entire film library of the Peanuts franchise.
To that end, on October 19, 2020, Apple TV+ announced it would be making all the franchise's television specials available exclusively on the service, apparently ending the franchise's 55 year era on broadcast television. However, the service also announced that each of the major holiday specials would be made available as each American holiday approached, beginning with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, with a contract stipulation requiring limited periods of free viewing for the public during those times.[1] However, in response to public complaints about removing the specials from TV broadcast, a compromise was reached with the American public television network, PBS, also being granted permission to air A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas in 2020. In 2021, it also began airing It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown as the original agreement to air the specials in 2020 came after Halloween, but has no plans to air Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown.
In addition to its acquisition of the completed specials, Apple TV+ announced the commissioning of new ones to cover other occasions previously neglected by the franchise, such as Mother's Day, Earth Day and the return to school.
Apple TV+ has not acquired the rights to air the 2014 TV series Peanuts, which can continue to be broadcast on Cartoon Network and is also available on HBO Max for the time being, or The Peanuts Movie. Since The Peanuts Movie was a production of 20th Century Fox, which was subsequently acquired by Disney, it is available for streaming exclusively on Disney+ at this time. Likewise the films A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Come Home, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!), originally released by Cinema Center Films and Paramount Pictures, have their distribution rights controlled by Paramount Global and as such are not on Apple TV+.
References[]
- ↑ Jay Peters,"Apple TV Plus will get classic Peanuts holiday specials as part of a new streaming deal", The Verge, October 10, 2020