SAN JOSE, Calif.—Apple may end up charging a fee for its new TV service despite analysts originally expecting it to be free to Apple TV users.
During a phone call to discuss the company’s fiscal third quarter, CFO Luca Maestri said that the launches of Apple Arcade and Apple TV+ will add to the company’s current 420 million subscriptions to its services business, which includes Apple Music, iTunes, Apple Pay and iCloud.
That has now led to speculation Apple will charge a subscription fee for Apple TV+ instead of offering it as a free add-on for Apple TV users, as has been previously suggested.
Maestri also said that there would be trial periods upfront, so “the road to monetization takes some time.”
The company also reported double-digit revenue growth from Apple TV in the third quarter, with the new Apple TV app generating a year-on-year increase of 40% in viewers in the U.S.
There is still no official launch date for Apple TV+.
