Tony Avelar/AP
Apple is looking to build out a serious competitor to Netflix with its recently-launched streaming service.
- Apple poached a top Netflix engineer as it looks to build out its Apple TV Plus streaming service.
- According to the Wall Street Journal, Ruslan Meshenberg ensured Netflix's catalog of movies and TV shows ran reliably for the company's vast (and growing) worldwide customer base.
- Apple TV Plus was launched in November 2019 to significant hype, having signed up stars like Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston to star in Apple-exclusive shows.
- Business Insider has approached Meshenberg, Apple, and Netflix for comment.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A top Netflix engineer has joined Apple as the company looks to enhance its new streaming service, Apple TV Plus.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Ruslan Meshenberg ensured Netflix's catalog of movies and TV shows ran reliably for the company's vast worldwide customer base.
Meshenberg is an engineering leader at Apple as of January after eight years at Netflix, according to his LinkedIn profile
Apple TV Plus was launched in November 2019 to significant hype, having signed up Hollywood stars like Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston to star in Apple-exclusive shows.
Though it's likely too early to determine how well Apple TV Plus will fare in the long-run, early signs are positive. According to research by data firm Parrot Analytics, six of the top 10 streaming original premieres in the US for the fourth quarter of 2019 were Apple series.
One of its first exclusive TV series, 'The Morning Show' was also nominated, albeit unsuccessfully, for two different awards at this year's Golden Globes.
It is yet to rival Netflix's popularity, by all accounts.
As of January 2020, Netflix boasts over 167 million worldwide subscribers. That's equal to over half the entire US population. And some 8.76 million paid subscribers joined the service in the fourth quarter of 2019 alone.
Apple, in its fiscal first-quarter results on Tuesday, did not disclose subscribers for Apple TV Plus, though it's clear the streaming service is a key part of the firm's goal of reducing its reliance on iPhone revenue alone through the development of services.
Business Insider has approached Meshenberg, Apple, and Netflix for comment.
Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Insider Inc.'s parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.
