Apple Is Packing TV Shows and Games Into Its Storage Plan
Apple is adding Apple TV and Apple Arcade to iCloud+ plans in more than 100 countries.
The change was reported on September 15, 2026. iCloud+ is the paid plan many people buy for extra backup space and privacy tools. In the covered countries, that one payment now also opens TV shows and games, with no separate TV or Arcade plan needed Engadget.
The bundle also includes Apple Music Select. Apple says it is ad-free radio over the internet. Other reporting describes the same addition as curated Apple Music stations added with TV and Arcade MacRumors.
The United States is not included. This version of iCloud+ with TV and Arcade is not sold in the U.S.
For reference, the cheapest U.S. iCloud+ plan costs $1. That price does not apply to the new bundle, since the bundle is not offered there. Apple has not shared through these sources a price list for the larger iCloud+ plan in the countries getting it.
The list is wide. It includes India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates. Early markets also include Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla and Antigua 9to5Mac, as well as Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius and Micronesia.
In plain terms, this spreads Apple TV further. The iCloud+ change brings Apple TV to 59 new countries. The growth comes through the storage plan, not through a separate video launch.
The timing is September. 9to5Mac reported on September 15, 2026 that iCloud+ with Apple TV and Apple Arcade is rolling out that month in select countries.
This sits next to Apple One, Apple's other bundle. Apple One puts iCloud+ together with Apple TV, Music and Arcade. The Individual plan costs $14.95 per month and includes 50GB of iCloud storage. Apple has said Apple One gives people in over 100 countries and regions Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+ and Apple TV+.
A couple of terms help here. Apple Arcade is a game plan with more than 100 new and exclusive games. With Family Sharing, up to six family members can share Apple services including Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Arcade and Apple Music.
The broader context here is worth spelling out. Storage and shows work differently. Storage is sticky. People set it up once and forget it until space runs out. Shows and games are optional, and people cancel them more often. Joining the second to the first makes it easier to try TV and games where a separate fun subscription is a harder sell.
In my view, that is a practical use of plumbing as delivery. For the people who run these systems, the interesting part is not the show list. It is the passkey logic, the check that decides what one payment unlocks. One payment now opens backup space, viewing rights, game access and radio. That can ease billing and logins in places with many payment types, while making iCloud+ the single record.
Looking at what this means for makers, the upside is reach. A game or show that once needed a separate subscription in a country can now reach anyone paying for extra iCloud space. Anyone who has watched teens treat phone backup as a must-have and video apps as swappable will get the logic. You tie the optional to the essential.
There are tradeoffs to watch. Bundling can hide how each part is doing. From the outside, it is harder to tell if growth comes from storage, video or games. The number to keep in mind is use and staying power, not the headline country count. More than 100 countries sounds big. The working question is how many people switch on the extras and still use them after the newness fades.
