The Scoop
One of the biggest news publishers is pulling its content off of Apple News — for now.
CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend, ending the cable news brand’s contract to share its content on the popular news app, Semafor has learned. The two companies are continuing to discuss a new deal that would restore CNN’s stories to Apple News.
CNN declined to comment. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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As social media platforms have leaned away from filling users’ feeds with links to written content, Apple News and its paid counterpart, Apple News+, have become increasingly important distribution and monetization levers for news publishers. Apple News drives millions of views and impressions a month to many news organizations, while participation in Apple News+, which offers users content from hundreds of paywalled publications for about $10 a month, has yielded millions in annual revenue for publishers.
Outlets like People Inc. and Conde Nast have enthusiastically embraced Apple News as a key source of eyeballs and revenue; People has built several offerings specifically for Apple News users.
Other media companies have been wary of relying too much on traffic and revenue from a tech platform, concerned about sacrificing their direct relationship with their audience. They point to a generation of failed digital media startups that relied heavily on Facebook for distribution, only to see the platform turn its back on news.
For CNN, the hardball tactics with Apple reflect the company’s increasing push for digital monetization, and more aggressive posture towards sharing its content with tech platforms. CNN rolled out a new paid subscription offering earlier this month, and has been putting more of its reported stories behind a paywall.