tvOS apps / Apple TV apps Statistics and Trends 2024
Last update: 16 Mar 2024 CET

tvOS apps / Apple TV apps Statistics and Trends 2024

For this article, we leveraged our app intelligence solutions to analyze the current state of tvOS. In particular, we looked at app and publisher data to identify a variety of emerging trends.

To demonstrate our findings, we’ve answered the following questions about tvOStvOS.

To learn even more about tvOS, reach out to our team!

Data Source: 42matters

At 42matters, we take a holistic approach to mobile and connected TV (CTV) app intelligence. We track app metadata, performance metrics, technical specifications, strategic insights, and more. If you would like to leverage our data for your own products, processes, or research, you can access it via our APIs, File Dumps, Explorer, SDK Explorer, and App Watchlist.

Contact Sales
Get Started With 42matters Today!
tvOS

History of tvOS

Apple is a company that needs no introduction. Indeed, it has a long track record of bringing revolutionary products to the market. Today, they boast perhaps the most most impressive product catalog on the planet, offering a host of popular devices (e.g. iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, HomePod, and Mac computers and laptops), and a wide-ranging portfolio of software applications, operating systems, professional apps, and online services.

Apple has been particularly innovative in the digital entertainment space. Building off the wild success of iTunes and the Apple App store, the company launched the Apple TV digital media player in 2007 and the tvOS operating system in 2015.

Funny enough, this wasn’t the tech giant’s first foray into the television space. The company had tried at various times to launch TV and digital entertainment products, including 1993’s short-lived Macintosh TV, the Apple TV tuner card, and 1994’s Apple Interactive Television Box, which was a collaboration venture between Apple, British Telecom, and Belgacom that never made it to the market.

It was not until 2006, however, that Apple introduced the world to the project that would become Apple TV. At the time it was called iTV, was based on Apple’s now discontinued Front Row software, and could be navigated using the Apple Remote.

By 2007, the market was finally ready for Apple’s digital entertainment revolution. With Apple TV, they were officially able to shake up the traditional cable TV model, à la Roku, YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming and digital entertainment innovators.

By bringing affordable, bespoke offerings to the market via Apple TV and tvOS, Apple has made it possible for consumers to ditch expensive, thousand-channel cable packages that they don’t need or want. The result: consumers are leaving cable providers en masse. This phenomenon – referred to as cord-cutting – has led to increasingly poor returns for the cable industry writ large. As such, businesses that rely on cable TV viewership to generate revenue are looking to companies like Apple to reclaim that lost audience.

For Apple, the cord-cutting trend has been a boon. The emergent digital streaming market has provided the company with a fantastic new source of revenue with a bright future ahead of it. That is to say, the Apple TV app, and the tvOS operating system that undergirds it, is poised to become one of Apple’s most critical products.

The Apple TV app comes with nearly 100 pre-loaded apps and channels, and offers thousands more via the Apple TV app store. Many of these apps offer free content, but others – such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO – require third-party subscriptions. Additionally, there are some apps, like those that offer movie purchases and rentals, that charge on a pay-as-you-go basis.

The flagship Apple TV product is the Apple TV 4K streaming device, which makes it possible for users to stream 4K and HD content directly on their TV sets. In addition, the Apple TV platform is available on select Samsung smart-TVs, and the app itself can be downloaded on mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

All things considered, it’s easy to understand the appeal of Apple TV. It’s a convenient and affordable all-in-one platform that comes with Apple’s trademark intuitive user experience. It offers consumers more options, more freedom, and more manageable costs.

Want to learn about other app stores? Click here!

How many apps are available on tvOS?

tvOS Apps

tvOS Apps

18,261

tvOS is one of the most popular mobile app vendors on the planet, offering 18,261 apps.

Find out how many apps are available on other app stores.

How many publishers have released apps on tvOS?

12,893
tvOS AppsPublishers

To date, 12,893 app publishers have published apps on tvOS.

Find out how many app publishers are active on other app stores.

What is the distribution of free versus paid on tvOS?

tvOS Apps
Free
16,041
87.84%
Paid
2,220
12.16%
Out of 18,261 tvOS apps.

There are 16,041 free apps on tvOS and 2,220 that must be purchased. However, it should be noted that many free apps require subscriptions or otherwise offer in-app purchases.

What is the distribution of apps by category?

Drilling down a bit deeper, apps available on tvOS are divided into 26 categories. We’ve calculated the distribution of tvOS apps by category:

Google App Store logo

tvOS Categories

Total categories: See All 26 Categories

How many apps are released on tvOS per day?

7
tvOS AppsApps Published per Day (Avg.)

An average of 7 new apps are released on tvOS per day.

How many apps are released on tvOS per week?

New apps per week
70
tvOS AppsApps Published Last Week

Last week, 70 apps were published to tvOS. The chart to the left depicts publication statistics for the last three weeks.

How many apps are released on tvOS per month?

New apps per month
224
tvOS AppsApps Published Last Month

Last month, 224 apps were added to tvOS. The chart to the left shows publication trends over the last three months.

What is the average rating of tvOS apps?

Apps rating stars

Apps with ratings

  • Apps with ratings Icon
    5,698
    31.2%

    Out of 18,261 tvOS apps.

Apps rating stars

Apps without ratings

  • Apps without ratings Icon
    12,563
    68.8%

    Out of 18,261 tvOS apps.

Currently, 5,698 tvOS apps have been rated by users, while 12,563 have not yet been rated. The chart below shows the distribution of app ratings on tvOS.

Average Rating Distribution
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
Scroll right
See how app ratings are distributed on other app stores!

How much do tvOS apps cost?

While the vast majority of tvOS apps are free to download, many need to be purchased. Typically, paid tvOS apps cost <$1. Below, we've plotted the price distribution of paid apps for those costing up to USD $10.00:

Number of Apps per Price - For paid apps priced below USD 10.00
Scroll right