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

May 20, 2026 | TV+ Talk

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.