How publishers are eyeing Apple News Plus
The launch of Apple News Plus, the all-you-can-eat magazine subscription service, aims to get publishers hoping for a new rush of readers glued to their iPhones. Once bitten, though, those publisers are still approaching the platform with caution, afraid of giving up the lifeblood of their businesses.
The tradeoff from the subscription service, which launched last week, is clear, print industry stalwarts can appear on Apple News Plus, with immediate distribution on 1.4 billion devices, but they have to give up that direct connection to readers. The magazinesfrom publishers like Hearst, Cond Nast and Meredithwon’t get access to data about their Apple News Plus readers, because Apple doesn’t track users, which also means advertisers can’t target them.
“The economics on Apple News is obviously less than we get from our owned and operated properties,” says Daniel Hallac, New York Media’s chief product officer. “But it’s a different audience than our web properties, so it’s an opportunity to reach new people.”
