Apple is about to kill off its digital magazine store Newsstand and replace it with a Flipboard-style news app.
The move will see Apple showcase content from publishers supported by ads through the apps, the Guardian understands.
According to sources talking separately to Recode, media organisations include ESPN, the New York Times, Conde Nast and Hearst.
Apple will remove Newsstand, which is currently used as a platform for showcasing and distributing digital newspapers and magazines. The platform announced during WWDC in 2011, which was first an app on Apple’s iPad and then a folder containing publisher’s app containers for their content, was heralded as the saviour of magazines in the internet-connected, smartphone and tablet era.
The app saw digital magazine and newspaper revenue quadruple in the first year, but has since seen publishers complain that it acts to hide content rather than highlight it.
Many have switched to standalone apps dedicated to pulling content from websites, like the Guardian app, which has offered them greater visibility both on the iPad homescreen and within stores.
Publishers will now sell apps directly within the App Store like any other app, with Apple continuing to take a 30% cut of revenue from subscriptions.
Within the new Flipboard-style app, publishers participating and displaying content will keep 100% of revenue for ads they sell around their content. Apple will also help sell unsold ad slots for a fee, according to Recode.
Read more:https://www.theguardian.com
