Apple Plans to Kick Off 2025 with an Apple TV+ Surprise
Credit: Apple TV+
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With Christmas Day behind us, Apple has begun teasing what may be its first big promotion of the New Year — in this case, something that it has in store for its Apple TV+ streaming service.
It’s unclear what that is just yet, but it’s piquing our curiosity by telling folks to “Save the date” and “Stay tuned” for something on January 4–5, 2025, accompanied by the tagline “See for yourself.”
The original teaser showed a scene from Spirited, leading to speculation that it could be related to Apple’s 2022 hit Christmas movie that brought Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds together for a very unique and whimsical take on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Still, a two-day event seemed a bit much for just that, and a second tweet from the official Apple TV account mixed things up with a glare from Jackson Lamb — the lead character portrayed by Gary Oldman in Slow Horses.
If this is the start of a trend, we could see another teaser tomorrow featuring a scene from yet another Apple original.
Still, none of this helps us figure out what Apple is up to. The most plausible explanation would seem to be some type of free viewing event — January 4–5 is a weekend, so Apple could plan to take down the paywall either fully or partially for a two-day period to let people explore everything its streaming service has to offer without paying for a subscription.
If so, this would be a first for Apple TV+; the company has offered free weekends for MLS Season Pass, its Apple TV+-adjacent Major League Soccer streaming service, but that’s a separate service with its own subscription. The most Apple TV+ has offered is free trials for new subscribers and the occasional free episodes of some shows — either as premiere episodes to try and draw subscribers in or as a concession to long-time Peanuts fans.
Whatever it turns out to be, the fact that Apple is teasing this as a two-day event suggests it’s not just an announcement of a new series or of its entire 2025 lineup. However, Apple could certainly use the opportunity to promote upcoming shows, and the timing is pretty ripe for that.
The first weekend in January is an ideal time to draw in folks who are chilling out after a busy holiday season, but it’s also right at the cross-section of two of Apple’s hit shows: season 2 of Silo will be nearly coming to an end, and season 2 of Severance will kick off on January 17, 2025.
A free viewing weekend would be an ideal opportunity to binge-watch season one of Severance or get almost to the end of season 2 of Silo, encouraging folks to pay up and stick around if they want to see how things unfold from there (episodes 9 & 10 of Silo will be released on January 10 and January 17). Of course, there are plenty of other hit shows to enjoy on Apple TV+, but those two have been creating a lot of buzz lately, and they’re the ones most likely to leave folks begging for more.
The first season of Severance ended on a big cliffhanger, and season 2 has taken nearly three years to arrive. Apple is already teasing and promoting it pretty heavily; it released an official trailer two weeks ago, and this week, it made the first eight minutes available as an exclusive preview for Apple TV+ subscribers. Meanwhile, Silo has been renewed for two more seasons, which will bring back fans for even more.
