Recent hiring suggests that Apple TV+ could be getting a new ad-supported tier

If you've looked at the price of Apple TV+ and wished that it was just a little bit cheaper, you might be in for some good news if a new report is anything to go by. According to that report, Apple has hired a former NBCUniversal ad exec and that suggests that the company is getting ready to bring an ad-supported tier to the Apple TV+ streaming service for the first time.

Other streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+ all offer ad-supported tiers as a way for people to pay less to access their streaming wares. In exchange for a cheaper subscription, people have to watch some ads before and sometimes during their content. Now, Apple might be ready to go a similar route.

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The ad exec in question is Joseph Cady, a man who had worked at NBCUniversal for 14 years. Business Insider reports that his most recent title was EVP of advanced advertising and partnerships, a role that meant he was in charge of data-driven and targeted TV advertising. Cady was also involved in new partnerships between NBCUniversal and Amazon, Google, TikTok, and others.

Alongside a potential Apple TV+ ad-based offering it's likely that Cady will be involved in Apple's other streaming ventures. Both the MLS Season Pass and Friday Night Baseball already have ads and sponsors, and Apple is no doubt looking for ways to maximize revenue from those avenues.

The Business Insider report also highlights that Apple as hired other people from their respective companies of this ilk. Jason Brum came with experience from DirecTV, NBCUniversal, and others while Chandler Taylor came from Peacock. Jacqueline Bleazey was hired from FanDuel.

Apple currently charges subscribers prices from $6.99 to $9.99 per month for Apple TV+ while the streamer is also available as part of the Apple One subscription bundle that includes other Apple services like Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, iCloud, Apple Arcade, and others. Family Sharing is also offered which means that your family can all watch Apple TV+ with their own profiles and on their own devices without paying extra.

For comparison, Netflix has made a big push into the ad-based space of late and charges $6.99 for its standard ad-based tier. The ad-free version of its standard tier costs $15.49, making for quite the saving if you're willing to put up with watching ads. Not everyone is of course, which makes the fact that there is an option for all people all the more important.