It's been almost a year since the Apple TV Plus debuted. Outside of Apple's own events, where Apple rolled out red carpets all over New York and Los Angeles and held private screenings of new shows, it seemed that Apple was, for once, living in someone else's shadow.

Even though Disney Plus debuted only a week later, the Apple TV Plus couldn't have come at a better time, considering the pandemic that would shut down the House of Mouse's newest platform (which would shut down the amusement park in a few months ), started out behind the publicity machine. At $4.99 per month, Apple TV Plus is one of the cheapest paid streaming services, but what has Apple TV Plus done to convince people to spend the equivalent of one Starbucks order?

Well, it didn't have to do that for many of its subscribers. Apple offered a one-year subscription with the purchase of any Apple device (including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac) that could watch the service.

This probably contributed significantly to the 40 million subscribers that Statista estimates Apple TV Plus attracted. We do not know how much Apple TV Plus contributed to the US$14.55 billion that Apple reported in its Q4 2020 earnings release, but this was a 16.3% increase from last year, a record amount. One also wonders how much return (if any) Apple is getting on its investment; in August 2019, Apple reportedly had already invested US$6 billion before launching its TV service.

Disney Plus is also benefiting from a free one-year contract made possible by its partnership with Verizon, but it already has more than 60.5 million subscribers on the back of big wins for shows like "The Mandalorian" and "Hamilton," which have made a splash in ways that few TV shows or characters have

Apple offered shows that aired on the day of launch such as Dickinson, For All Mankind, The Morning Show, and See, all of which failed to generate similar buzz. I started watching all of these, but only finished watching The Morning Show because I needed something to watch while dealing with epic jet lag.

And since Apple TV Plus (like most streaming services) does not show any significant metrics on audience numbers, it is difficult to determine whether any of these shows were true "hits." In fact, the lack of hits was the service's biggest problem. The initial launch list was slim, and that didn't help either. Disney Plus" started out with a similar lack of original programming, but at least it had the back catalog of "Disney Vault" and most of the Marvel movies. [Small hits like "Mythic Quest" and "Beastie Boys Story" were produced, but "Ted Lasso" apparently became the success story Apple needed. Even though "Ted Lasso" has only aired one season, it has been ordered for a second and third season.

Such a request for additional TV content from Apple has only been seen once before with the launch title of "Dickinson. The audience for "Ted Russo" appears to be growing slowly but steadily. (Apple won't divulge any major details, so this is purely based on my anecdotal information. I continue to learn about new fans of the show, which gives the show a "word-of-mouth winner" vibe.

By contrast, Apple TV Plus seemed to win with Sofia Coppola's "On The Rocks," starring Bill Murray and Rashida Jones, which didn't exactly generate much buzz. It was certified 86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

In my initial review of Apple TV Plus, I commented that the service's web browser mode was not always error-free. However, as the year went on, I realized how unimportant this was, as I never actually used the browser to stream the service (this is more because I am a Mac user and not a PC owner).

However, when I checked again this week and re-watched the Ted Lasso episode in my browser, the streaming was smooth and clear with no errors.

In other words, a weak first year with something to look forward to in the second is not the best future. Now, the Apple TV Plus' upcoming programming listings will probably give more than a few people a reason to tune in.

First, Apple is bringing Jon Stewart back to TV. According to Apple, his show will be an hour-long in-depth look at a single topic, exploring "issues that are currently national topics and activities he advocates for."

Apple also pulled a new comedy series "Platonic" starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen. Rogen has recently received critical acclaim for his HBO Max exclusive "An American Pickle" and has also played a major role in "The Boys" as an executive producer. This looks like it could be the blockbuster hit Apple needs.

And following the success of Beastie Boys Story, Apple has acquired the rights to a documentary on the Velvet Underground directed by Todd Haynes. If the platform continues to be the home of interesting documentaries about music, it will continue to make its voice heard. But considering that they are also targeting new shows with top-notch names, it is clear that Apple knows that a diverse roster is the key to growing its audience.

However, Apple's decision to extend the free one-year subscription indicates that they may not believe people will re-subscribe. While I appreciate the great work I've seen so far, I think I could probably binge-watch the best shows and movies in a month.

Around the time of the Apple TV Plus launch, I managed to get an excuse to attend the premiere of "The Morning Show" at the Metropolitan Opera House, where Tim Cook and Eddie Cue were applauded alongside Jennifer Aniston. It felt very glamorous, but the show took a little too long to really connect with me. This is the epitome of the Apple TV Plus story so far.

I'm not sure how much the world needed another streaming service, but Apple seems committed to seeing its original programming plans through for a second year or more, and whether Apple will have more success stories through the Apple One bundle, It will be interesting to watch.