Apple App Store subscription plan gouges publishers, eats their young

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Somebody call the cops -- eh, antitrust authorities. Apple's subscription plan is here, and it's as bad for many, if not most, publishers as rumored. The first of several key sentences from Apple's press announcement: "Publishers may no longer provide links in their apps (to a website, for example) which allow the customer to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the app." That means you Amazon Kindle; before the announcement, all Kindle transactions took place outside the app in a web browser. This change applies to any content, but it's nestled in the subscriptions announcement.Another piece of nastiness: "Apple does require that if a publisher chooses to sell a digital subscription separately outside of the app, that same subscription offer must be made available, at the same price or less, to customers who wish to subscribe from within the app." That rule conceptually would prevent some publishers from extending to existing customers the benefits of a free iPad subscription."So, Apple doesn't prohibit publishers from selling subscriptions outside the app -- how could it and get anyone to offer content? But the company does fix prices. So if publisher A charges 50 bucks a year and wants to offer a holiday or school graduation promotion from its website, the deal must be offered for app subscriptions, too. Remember, Apple collects 30 percent from publishers.No one should misunderstand other terms, as stated in Apple's press release:... Continue reading at 'Betanews'

[ Betanews | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #book sold #barnes noble #raise prices #profits handed #things digital #steve jobs #android tablets

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Apple App Store subscription plan gouges publishers, eats their young'


Hearst's Troy Young on Publishing Amid Chaos: 'Facebook Doesn't Owe Me Anything'

Subscribe to us on iTunes, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher, Google Play and iHeartRadio too. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend!It's been five years since Troy Young came to Hearst to build out the magazine company's digital division. Today as the global president of digital for... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good housekeeping #media space


Apple Is Buying Texture, the So-Called 'Netflix for Magazines,' in Subscription Push

Apple is acquiring Texture, a digital magazine servicedubbed by media industry observers as "Netflix for magazines"that lets users subscribe to more than 200 titles for $9.99 a month.Texture, offered via the app stores of Apple, Google and Amazon.com Inc., bolsters Apple's efforts in online... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #app stores #online services #vanity fair #bloomberg businessweek #meredith corp


Digiday Research poll: Apple News dominates publisher focus after Facebook’s news feed changes

Digiday's online poll of publisher executives found that they believe Apple News should be their priority following Facebook's algorithm change. The post Digiday Research poll: Apple News dominates publisher focus after Facebook’s news feed changes appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online poll #apple news #algorithm change


Publishers challenge HEFCE over OA monograph plans

University press publishers have challenged the head of research policy at funder HEFCE over plans to require all monographs to be published Open Access to be eligible for the 2027 Research Excellence Framework (REF).  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


European publishers look to digital subscriptions to reduce platform dependency

Most survey respondents (70 percent) said they have evidence that readers’ willingness to pay for content has increased in the past year. The post European publishers look to digital subscriptions to reduce platform dependency appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #european publishers #digital subscriptions


Czech Publisher Grada Opens Bookport, an Ebook Subscription Platform

More than a quarter of the roughly 15,000 ebooks available in Czech are on the newly launched Bookport subscription platform, with more titles coming. The post Czech Publisher Grada Opens Bookport, an Ebook Subscription Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #titles coming


Amazon planning physical stores in Germany

The announcement that Amazon is getting closer to opening physical stores in Germany has put a dampener on the Christmas spirit among many booksellers and retailers in general. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Facebook plans to stop paying publishers to make news feed videos

According to publishing sources, the original Facebook Live deals, which evolved into live and VOD licensing arrangements with 300 video partners, are going away by the end of the year. The post Facebook plans to stop paying publishers to make news feed videos appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook plans


Apple’s App of the Year Makes Sense If You've Been Paying Attention to the News

For a picture of what life was like in 2017, look no further than the apps, movies, books, and music that topped the App Store and iTunes charts. This week, Apple revealed the most popular titles that iOS users downloaded over the course of the year. In terms of media, the top choices weren’t... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2017-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #app store #apple revealed #paying attention #popular titles #tv shows #facebook messenger


Publisher pivot to reality casts doubts on global expansion plans

In the boom days, digital media was shouting from the rooftops about plans for global expansion, but the pace of expansion has slowed. The post Publisher pivot to reality casts doubts on global expansion plans appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #global expansion


Facebook and 10 Publishers Are Testing Subscriptions Within Instant Articles

The idea of subscriptions in Facebook's Instant Articles has been bandied about for quite some time, and an official test is finally underway. Head of news partnerships Campbell Brown, head of news product Alex Hardiman and product manager Sameera Salari announced in a Facebook Media blog post... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Publishers are caught in the crossfire of the Facebook-Apple fracas

A long-awaited test to let publishers sell subscriptions through Facebook has been complicated by Apple. The post Publishers are caught in the crossfire of the Facebook-Apple fracas appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post publishers


Medium expands its reading subscription to any author or publisher

Last March, publishing platform Medium introduced its Partner Program, a Netflix-style subscription model that gave members exclusive pieces of writing, access to features before anyone else, an offline reading list and an ad-free experience. The pro... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad-free experience


Apple News Lets Publishers Test Serving Ads From Google's DoubleClick

Apple's latest iOS is out, the news app is updated, and for publishers a new ad serving trial is under way with help from an unlikely ally, Google.A select group of publishers are testing ad insertions into their Apple News pages using DoubleClick For Publishers, according to a number of... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #apple news #news app #select group #media partners


‘It is harder to differentiate in the platforms’: Publishers want more data, monetization options from Facebook, Google and Apple

Publishers said they want more data sharing, better subscription options and greater flexibility in how articles and ads can be designed within distributed platforms. The post ‘It is harder to differentiate in the platforms’: Publishers want more data, monetization options from Facebook, Google... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #data sharing #distributed platforms #apple appeared #monetization options #greater flexibility


The UK’s Publishers Commit to a Workforce Diversity Program’s 10-Point Action Plan

In its program to change the makeup of the UK book business workforce, British publishers have taken the lead in international inclusivity efforts. The post The UK’s Publishers Commit to a Workforce Diversity Program’s 10-Point Action Plan appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #british publishers


The UK’s Publishers Formally Commit to a Workforce Diversity Program’s 10-Point Action Plan

In its program to change the makeup of the UK book business workforce, British publishers have taken the lead in international inclusivity efforts. The post The UK’s Publishers Formally Commit to a Workforce Diversity Program’s 10-Point Action Plan appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #british publishers


B&N Has a Plan for the Future: More Stores

Barnes & Noble has been closing stores steadily for years, but CEO Demos Parneros said, during a conference call yesterday, that his goal is to position the company for "net store expansion" in fiscal 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barnes noble


Behind The Athletic’s plans to grow local sports news subscriptions

The local sports news publisher would like to have 100,000 subscribers by year-end. The post Behind The Athletic’s plans to grow local sports news subscriptions appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Facebook Confirms Plan to Help Pubs Sell Subscriptions Through Instant Articles

And publishers get to keep all of the revenue, says Mark Zuckerberg. The post Facebook Confirms Plan to Help Pubs Sell Subscriptions Through Instant Articles appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mark zuckerberg