The recent push of “Dark Matter” and Apple TV’s digital strategy

What happened to “Dark Matter”? The show wasn’t in the Apple TV top 10 in basically any market (the last episode was released in June 2024). In the last 2 days, the show has surged in popularity on the platform, reaching #4 worldwide, including a huge rise in the charts of major streaming markets - #3 in the US, #5 in the UK, #3 in Canada, #5 in Mexico, #4 in France, #2 in Brazil and #5 in India.

Has there been any viral on Tik Tok? “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” recently surged on the Apple TV charts due to viral. Or are people finding “Dark Matter” a good companion to “Severance”? When “Ptolemy Grey” got a boost from Tik Tok, there was some discussion about how go viral on social media helps content and Apple needs to take advantage of that. For “Dark Matter” it’s even more important because it’s a renewed show, and accumulating viewers will help when the new season premieres. Many of these viral hits aren’t organic, but studios and streaming services are literally investing money in them.

Apple TV’s digital strategy is very focused on shows that are currently releasing episodes, but there should be a push for shows that will eventually return (accumulating demand) and limited series and finished shows that weren’t watched by many people because no one subscribed to Apple TV or wasn’t interested in coming to the platform without “Severance” or “Ted Lasso” releasing episodes. These properly concluded shows and limited series need digital marketing to boost Apple TV’s low engagement.