A union representing TV and movie workers says Apple pays discounted rates to production crews because it has comparatively fewer subscribers than competing streaming services.A spokesman for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees told CNBC that Apple cited Apple TV+ subscriber numbers of less than 20 million people as of July 1. That statistic enables Apple to pay crews a lower rate than larger platforms like Netflix and Disney.According to an existing contract, big-budget streaming productions can pay workers at a discounted rate if their combined U.S. and Canada subscriber numbers are under a threshold of 20 million people, the report said. A copy of the contract seen by CNBC reveals labor stipulations for streaming productions are less stringent than those maintained for traditional broadcast TV projects because profitability in the sector is "presently uncertain."Read more
