Earlier this year, Apple purchased popular digital magazine distributor Texture. Now, the company is reportedly in talks with major newspaper publishers.
Re/code reports that Apple is looking at the big newspaper publishers in the U.S., attempting to persuade them to add their stories to Texture. With Eddy Cue leading the negotiations, Apple has reached out to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post regarding adding their content to the app.
This is all in an effort to boost Apple’s original content and subscription services. Apple is already in the works of building its original content portfolio with its slew of original shows currently being produced. The company is slated to launch its new service sometime next year.
However, this will be an uphill battle for Apple as most major newspaper brands already have their own subscription services starting at $10/month per newspaper.
As for publishers, they are concerned about the possibility of being bundled and then later being dropped from the bundle. Most argue that offering their own subscriptions allow a one-to-one relationship with customers, giving them full control over pricing and sales stats.
On the other hand, Apple has proven time and time again that it is capable of turning its hardware sales into monthly subscribers. Apple Music currently has 50 million subscribers after launching in 2015 due to offering a three-month free trial to its users.
Another concern would be with cannibalizing Apple’s own news service, Apple News, which certain newspapers are already selling subscriptions through.
