‘Masters of the Air’ Soars to Apple TV+’s Most-Watched Series Launch Ever (EXCLUSIVE)

“Masters of the Air” launched with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple TV+ series ever has in its first season, according to the streamer. Though an exact number of viewers was not made available, that puts the epic war miniseries launch above other high-profile original titles like “Hijack,” “The Morning Show” and “Severance.”

Remarkably, following the premiere of “Masters of the Air,” viewership across all of Apple TV+ climbed by 65% worldwide when compared to the previous seven-day period. The streamer also maintained double-digit growth across more than 100 territories.

“Masters of the Air” is currently debuting new episodes, with its sixth installment premiering on Friday, Feb. 23. The finale will bow on the streamer on March 15.

“Masters of the Air” is executive produced by Steven Spielberg for Amblin Television, as well as Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman for Playtone. Amblin’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey serve as co-executive producers, along with Playtone’s Steven Shareshian, series writer John Orloff and Graham Yost.

Adapted from Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, the miniseries dramatizes the wartime ventures of the 100th Bomb Group, who performed dangerous aviation raids over Nazi Germany. The series boasts a deep ensemble that includes Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Barry Keoghan, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook and Ncuti Gatwa.

The miniseries has drawn strong critical praise since its launch, with Variety chief TV critic Aramide Tinubu writing that the production is “massive, beautifully rendered and a reminder that war is murderous, gruesome and horrifically human.”

Matt Donnelly and Selome Hailu contributed to this report.