Semafor: ‘As Clicks Dry Up for News Sites, Could Apple News Be a Lifeline?’
Max Tani, writing for Semafor:
Like many digital publishers, The Daily Beast was struggling at
the end of 2023. Facebook, long a primary driver of clicks to the
publication, had turned away from news. Search traffic had become
increasingly erratic, as Google adjusted its algorithm to combat a
flood of AI-powered junk. The site’s paid subscription program had
atrophied since Donald Trump left office.
But it had a new lifeline: Apple.
Late last year, the digital news tabloid (where I worked from 2018
to 2021 as a media reporter) entered into Apple’s partnership
program, called Apple News+. The program made all of the
publication’s buzziest exclusives available to paying Apple
subscribers, behind Apple’s own paywall. And the impact for a
mid-sized news site was immediate, putting the Beast on track to
make between $3-4 million in revenue this year from Apple News
alone — more than its own standalone subscription program, and
without much additional cost.
Apple News+ is yet another example of Apple successfully playing long games, with patience and determination. Apple Pay is another example. When it debuted in 2019 Apple News+ was largely written off. But now I’m seeing more and more stories like this, writing about it as a success.
Could be some lessons here regarding knee-jerk no-patience “Apple is late to AI” takes.
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Max Tani, writing for Semafor:
Like many digital publishers, The Daily Beast was struggling at
the end of 2023. Facebook, long a primary driver of clicks to the
publication, had turned away from news. Search traffic had become
increasingly erratic, as Google adjusted its algorithm to combat a
flood of AI-powered junk. The site’s paid subscription program had
atrophied since Donald Trump left office.
But it had a new lifeline: Apple.
Late last year, the digital news tabloid (where I worked from 2018
to 2021 as a media reporter) entered into Apple’s partnership
program, called Apple News+. The program made all of the
publication’s buzziest exclusives available to paying Apple
subscribers, behind Apple’s own paywall. And the impact for a
mid-sized news site was immediate, putting the Beast on track to
make between $3-4 million in revenue this year from Apple News
alone — more than its own standalone subscription program, and
without much additional cost.
Apple News+ is yet another example of Apple successfully playing long games, with patience and determination. Apple Pay is another example. When it debuted in 2019 Apple News+ was largely written off. But now I’m seeing more and more stories like this, writing about it as a success.
Could be some lessons here regarding knee-jerk no-patience “Apple is late to AI” takes.