Apple News, the free version, has emerged as a titan in the world of news platforms. As of 2020, it claimed the title of the most frequented news application in the United States, the U.K., Canada, and Australia, with over 125 million monthly users. This was largely due to Apple's acquisition of the start-up Texture, billed as the "Netflix of magazines," which led to the launch of the News+ subscription in 2019. This move deepened Apple's connection with news publishers, kick-starting with a partnership announcement with the Wall Street Journal, despite the Journal's parent company's initial skepticism of tech platforms.
A monthly fee of $12.99 buys users a bundled subscription to articles from elite magazines and newspapers, with a continually updated feed of stories syndicated from significant American news sites and magazines, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, the BBC, the LA Times, and hundreds more.
Over the past two years, Apple News+ has rapidly expanded its partnerships, bringing dozens of local and regional newspapers into the fold, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Austin American-Statesman, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Tennessean, among others. Apple licenses articles from behind publishers' paywalls, paying them a monthly fee based on the time audiences spend on each piece. Publishers can also advertise their content on Apple News and distribute product recommendations and reviews, keeping all affiliate link revenue they generate.
However, Apple remains tight-lipped about the number of News+ subscribers.
Many publishers view their partnership with Apple as an unexpected bonus. Slate President Charlie Kammerer, for example, perceives Apple as a platform for those unfamiliar with Slate's offerings, showcasing engaging advice columns and long-form reads.
As this dynamic unfolds, it's crucial to remember the ultimate goal for these media outlets: financial sustainability. They need to own their platforms and audiences, creating commerce-driven revenues that reflect the full value of their content and audiences. As enticing as Apple News' model may seem, it's not a permanent solution but a temporary lifeline.
While some outlets, like Slate, have adopted a hands-off approach, others have shaped their content to fit Apple's requirements. Through its Spotlight program, Apple solicits and commissions specific pieces around particular news events, such as major holidays and anniversaries. Noah Shachtman, the former editor of Rolling Stone, revealed that Apple also paid extra to commission art and audio segments for the magazine's articles.
In a recent interview, CEO Neil Vogel disclosed that Dotdash Meredith has dedicated teams creating content exclusively for Apple News+, which Apple then promotes.
"It's another outlet for our brands and our content," Vogel said. "We have a relationship with them that we think is super fair in both directions. And it's been really positive."
This evolving relationship between Apple and these organizations reveals a lot about the current state of news media. It's a fascinating study of survival and adaptation, but it's essential to keep our eyes on the prize: self-sustaining, commerce-driven revenues that reflect the full value of their content and audiences. In the end, the news publishers must strike a balance between exploiting such platforms as Apple News+ and nurturing their independent, self-sustaining mechanisms.
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