The New York Times has reported that over 200,000 iPhone, iPad and Mac users signed up for an Apple News+ subscription following the service’s launch on March 25th.
Apple News+ based itself on Texture, and that figure is more than the original service had during its peak. Texture, a digital magazine app that was first released in 2012, has a monthly subscription fee attached that allows access to over 200 magazines. Apple purchased the business in 2018 and announced they will be shutting it down at the end of May, following the debut of Apple News+.
Like Texture, Apple News+ grants access to more than 200 magazines, including news from The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles, that is usually behind a pay-wall. The subscription will cost users $9.99 per month, though those who subscribed following the event will receive a 30-day free trial.
Reception of Apple News+
It remains unclear just how popular Apple News+ will remain once that trial period runs out, although many of the magazines available on the platform are optimistic. Pamela Wasserstein, CEO of New York Media told how she believes that Apple News+ will allow New York Magazine, The Cut, and Vulture to reach a new audience in the relevant environment.
Apple will take 50% of the subscription price from Apple News+, and the rest of the fee will be distributed to its publishing partners. Media companies will receive their amount based on the amount of time readers spend reading their content. This revenue split has been deemed controversial by many, however, many magazines have signed up because operations are similar to that of Texture.
That said, the tech giant are likely to be disappointed they failed to entice any major newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washing Post.