Apple allegedly told a labor union that its Apple TV Plus streaming service had under 20 million North American subscribers as of July, which means the organization could pay production groups on its shows at lower rates than those dished out by services like Netflix.
Apple hasn’t made TV Plus subscriber numbers public, yet a representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said Apple uncovered the US and Canada figures to the union, CNBC announced late Friday.
The union, which represents set builders, camera operators and other such workers, is presently in agreement negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which CNBC noted considers Apple among its members. Under the current agreement, big-budget shows implied for a streaming service can pay crew laborers less if that service has less than 20 million subscribers.
The current agreement says streaming benefit is “presently uncertain,” so laborers on streaming shows aren’t dealt with equivalent to teams for traditional TV shows and films, as per CNBC. In any case, the IATSE contends that streaming has become an established business and pay for production laborers ought to be more equitable.
“Workers on certain ‘new media’ streaming projects get paid less, even on productions with budgets that rival or exceed those of traditionally released blockbusters,” the union said in a release Tuesday. Union workers are mulling whether to go on strike, CNBC said.
Apple didn’t react to a request for comment Saturday, yet it revealed to CNBC that the organization pays rates similar to those of leading streaming services.
As of July, Netflix had around 74 million subscribers in the US and Canada, and Disney Plus allegedly had around 38 million North American subscribers.
Apple TV Plus’ lineup of high-end originals has developed to in excess of five dozen titles since the streaming service launched right around two years prior. Shows incorporate Emmy-winning Ted Lasso; The Morning Show, a big-budget drama featuring A-listers Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon; Jason Momoa’s dystopian fantasy See; and a 10-episode adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s weighty Foundation saga.