MacVoices #26149: TV+ Talk - The Effect of Awards Shows and Missed Baseball

What this episode covers

Charlotte Henry and Chuck Joiner discuss Apple TV’s sports and awards momentum, from Lionel Messi’s expanding U.S. profile and Friday Night Baseball visibility to major BAFTA and Tony recognition. They also examine how awards influence viewer choices, upcoming Apple TV projects with John Travolta and James Marsden, and frustrations with subtitle handling in multilingual shows. Show Notes: Chapters: 0:00 Apple TV, soccer, and a 10-foot Lionel Messi inflatable 1:28 Lowe’s, Messi marketing, and World Cup branding 3:19 Apple TV’s role in Messi’s rising U.S. profile 5:26 Adidas, World Cup buzz, and MLS connections 6:25 Sports marketing and the search for more giant inflatables 7:22 Missing Friday Night Baseball and Apple TV visibility 10:03 BAFTA recognition for The Studio 11:29 Apple TV’s quality content and subscriber discovery 13:55 Do awards actually influence viewers? 15:57 Awards as credibility markers for Apple TV 18:52 Schmigadoon and Tony nominations 20:52 Apple TV’s growing strength across genres 22:59 Reactions to the latest Ted Lasso direction 24:32 John Travolta’s new Apple TV project 26:15 Disavowed and Apple TV’s action-thriller plans 28:54 Chief of War and multilingual subtitle frustrations 31:36 Built-in subtitles vs. viewer-controlled captions 34:31 Second-screen viewing and language presentation 35:37 Where to find Charlotte and Chuck online Links: Lowe’s Lionel Messi 10-Ft H Lighted Outdoor Inflatable https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lowe-s-Lionel-Messi-10-Ft-H-Lighted-Outdoor-Inflatable/5017758073 Apple Original Films’ summer blockbuster “F1 The Movie” is now available on premium video on demand and electronic sell-through, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2025/08/apple-original-films-summer-blockbuster-f1-the-movie-is-now-available-on-premium-video-on-demand-and-electronic-sell-through-in-collaboration-with-warner-bros-pictures/ Apple may lose baseball https://www.sportspro.com/news/mlb-apple-tv-friday-night-baseball-august-2025/ https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/19/apple-mlb-friday-night-baseball-to-end/ Apple TV Plus is offering subscribers a 54% discount following a wave of cancellations after its latest price hike https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/apple-tv-plus/apple-tv-plus-is-offering-subscribers-a-54-percent-discount-following-a-wave-of-cancellations-after-its-latest-price-hike What’s being released soon. https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/ Guests: Charlotte Henry is a media junkie, covering how Apple is not just a revolutionary tech firm, but a revolutionary media firm. She is based in London, writes and broadcasts for various outlets, and is the author of Not Buying It, an examination of fake news. You can find her on her The Addition blog, her podcast, in her The Addition newsletter on substack, and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon http://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web: http://macvoices.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner http://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunes Video in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss