Apple has increased the prices of its Music and TV+ services by almost 50 percent in South Africa, much more than its global increases. The company has increased its prices all around the world, but South Africa has been particularly hard hit.
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For context, the company increased the price of Apple Music in the US to $10.99 per month from $9.99 before. The price of TV+ climbed to $6.99 from $4.99, and the standard Apple One bundle increased to $16.95 from $14.95. Apple One bundles for families went from $19.95 to $22.95, while the Premier package, which adds News+, Fitness+ and additional storage on top of Arcade, Music and TV+, went to $32.95 from $29.95 (this bundle is not available in South Africa).
Those increases aren’t nearly as much as we are seeing in South Africa. The significant price increases for South African consumers include:
- Apple TV+, jumping from R84.99 to R124.99 per month – an increase of 47 percent
- Apple Music, climbing from R59.99 to R69.99per month – an increase of 16.7 percent
- Apple Music Family plan, jumping from R89.99 to R109.99 per month – and increase of 22.2 percent
- Apple One, jumping from R139.99 to R179.99 per month — an increase of 28.6 percent
- The Family plan is now R229.99 per month
The company said that Apple TV+, meanwhile, was introduced “at a very low price because we started with just a few shows and movies”. The service is now “home to an extensive selection of award-winning and broadly acclaimed series, feature films, documentaries, and kids and family entertainment from the world’s most creative storytellers”, Apple said.
Apple said in a statement that the music price hike “is due to an increase in licensing costs” and that artists and songwriters will now earn more money.
