David Farnor | On 04, Jan 2025

Apple TV+ is opening up its library of original films and TV shows to anyone to stream for free this weekend.

From Saturday 4 January to Sunday 5 January, the tech giant has decided to give an all-access pass to anyone around the world, without the need for a subscription. The price of Apple TV+ is £8.99 a month, which is the same price as a standard (without ads) subscription to Disney+ UK, but Apple doesn’t offer tiers of pricing with varied video quality.

Since its launch, the platform has amassed a steadily growing collection of films and TV shows that have generated acclaim, won fans and taken home awards, including Severance, Silo, Shrinking, Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, Wolfs, CODA and Wolfwalkers. Apple TV+’s first big challenge was the size of its original library: with less investment than Netflix in productions, while also starting several steps behind the streaming giant, it’s had to accelerate its output without compromising on quality.

It’s largely done that by strategically commissioning and acquiring star-led vehicles designed to attract attention. As its library gets bigger, its consistency in quality has begun to waver, but not perilously so. Now, Apple’s challenge is that star power and awards acclaim haven’t translated to wider mainstream buzz – compared to Netflix and Amazon Prime, which have roughly more than 200 million subscribers, Apple TV+’s reach is estimated to be more around 25 million subscribers.

Which brings us to this weekend, which Apple TV+ is using to turn into a promotional event to showcase its library to anyone – all they need to do is create a free Apple ID with their email address to be able to access the platform. From then, Apple hopes that people will subscriber after the preview weekend once they’ve gotten a taste – the fact that it’s timed the weekend to occur in the same month as the return of its breakout hit Severance is now coincidence. (For our guide to what’s coming up on Apple TV+ this month, click here.)

What should you be samping in the next 48 hours? Here’s our guide to the best box sets on Apple TV+, and the best films on Apple TV+.

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