AdAge

Apple News may soon let you access paywalled articles “for cents at a time”

Christian Zibreg / July 5, 2017

A new AdAge report Wednesday asserts Apple could soon enable a brand new micropayment option inside its News app to let readers access articles locked behind a paywall, like those from The Wall Street Journal, “for cents at a time”.

Citing people familiar with the plans, the publication has learned that the Cupertino giant is also coming up with new ways for major publisher partners to sell advertising on their articles encoded in the native Apple News format.

Apple may permit publishers to inject ads in the News app directly from third-party ad networks such as Google's DoubleClick for Publishers. It should help Apple News become more of an extension of the publishers' own websites than the walled-off island it is now.

“There's a ton of scale there but no dollars,” a publishing partner told the publication. “So Apple has to do something soon or publishers will pull out.” The iPhone maker should open new money-making avenues for publishers when iOS 11 launches for public consumption this fall.

Publishers aren't making much money on Apple News because Apple maintains tight control over ad delivery in the News app, which claims a comScore-estimated 47 million monthly users.

iOS 11's News app brings personalized top stories and suggestions from Siri, daily curated stories via a new Spotlight tab and the best videos of the day in your Today view.

Does it make more sense for Apple to allow standard ad serving on Apple News?

Tell is in comments!

Apple said to expand its in-house advertising team to 1000 employees

Joe Rossignol / April 18, 2016

Following a report last week claiming that Apple is shifting more of its TV advertising in house, Ad Age has taken an extensive look at the company's new marketing strategies. To regain its edge amid tough competition, Apple has been working hard on assembling an in-house creative team that will eventually number 1000 employees. The company is going after some of the top advertising talent, even poaching executives from its longtime partner TBWA/Media Arts Lab.

Apple now employs the controversial tactic of pitting TBWA against its internal team, siding with whoever comes up with the best creative ideas and running with it. The in-house team has already won at least a few campaigns, including an ad for the iPad Air last year showing off the thinness of the tablet. The internal team was also behind another iPad Air called Your Verse, featuring American actor Robin Williams…

Apple adds CEO of branding agency Wolff Olins to marketing team

Cody Lee / April 11, 2014

Ad Age reports this afternoon that Apple has hired Karl Heiselman, the global CEO of branding agency Wolff Olins. The news comes as the iPad-maker looks to double its in-house creative talent to better combat marketing from Samsung and others.

Interestingly enough, Heiselman used to be a design contractor for Apple in the early 1990s, before Steve Jobs made his triumphant return. He says back then the company was still trying to find itself, and he believes it's once again at a crossroads...

Vevo Apple TV app reportedly in the works

Christian Zibreg / October 12, 2018

Specialized publication AdAge is out with a new report which asserts - based on chit-chats with the obligatory "people familiar with the matter" - that Apple and the Vevo music website (no, I'm not capitalizing the name) have teamed up on providing the official app for the Apple TV to stream music videos 24/7 over the Internet. Akin to the Vevo TV feature found in Vevo's existing iPhone and iPad programs, the Apple TV application would offer non-stop streaming of music videos from Vevo's content partners.

Such a piece of software has the potential to effectively turn your $99 set-top box into the MTV jukebox for the 21st century. Keep in mind Vevo controls a catalog of 75,000 music videos from more than 21,000 artists...

iRadio tidbits: audio ads, iTunes Match syncing, no search/song skipping

Christian Zibreg / June 5, 2013

As you may have heard, Apple is now rushing to close music licensing deals for iRadio. And with Warner Music apparently finally on board, the company should formally take the wraps off its Pandora-killer at the WWDC keynote next Monday.

Bloomberg yesterday explained Apple's ad team is prepping to sell in-app iAds to major brands, which apparently can’t wait to advertise on iRadio. And now a new report by a major advertising trade publication claims Apple is also keen on monetizing the free service by injecting traditional audio ads...