Subscriptions

CBS All Access and Showtime streaming services have surpassed 2M subscribers

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 29, 2016

Cable providers can complain all they want about Apple’s “hard-nosed” negotiation tactics when it comes to digital entertainment, but some of them seem to be enjoying unexpected success after introducing over-the-top subscription packages specifically aimed at cord cutters.

Take as an example CBS and its All Access and Showtime Anytime video-streaming services, which have now surpassed two million subscribers, with user bases evenly split between the two, as revealed by CBS's CEO on a quarterly results conference call with analysts and investors.

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Apple confirms that subscription apps won’t be obliged to offer free functionality

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 10, 2016

There has been a lot of confusion following Apple's App Store shakeup concerning subscription apps.

First and foremost, does Apple require subscription apps to be functional in some limited way without a subscription, as is the case with apps that use In-App Purchases, or will subscription apps require a subscription to use the app at all? If Apple's comment to MacWorld is to be taken at face value, both could be true.

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Google copies Apple’s 85/15 revenue split for subscriptions, without 1-year requirement

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 9, 2016

Google surely didn't waste any time yesterday. Just a few hours into Apple's App Store announcements which revealed a new 85/15 revenue split for In-App Subscriptions, the Internet giant told Re/code that it, too, will be making a similar change concerning Android app subscriptions on the Play store.

But unlike Apple, which stipulates that devs will see the 70/30 revenue split turn into a 85/15 deal one after one full year of subscription, Google's Play Store 85/15 split would take effect immediately, without the one-year requirement.

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