Time Inc., a division of Time Warner, which is one of the largest branded media companies in the world, has recently inked a deal with tech conglomerate Apple Inc. According to the press release from Time, the digital subscriptions of all its 20 consumer magazine titles will now be available for iPad on Apple's Newsstand.
Talking about the past reports related to both the companies, this announcement has finally put an end to all the speculations emerging in the tech gossip world regarding Apple and Time's long running difference over digital subscriptions.
Earlier reports had mentioned that two years ago, Time was all prepared to launch iPad subscriptions for Sports Illustrated. However, Apple refused to allow the publisher to bill subscribers directly. Rather the Cupertino giant asked Time to follow the the iTunes Store mechanism, where Apple would keep 30 percent of the revenue and limit publisher access to subscriber information. As a result, iPad users were initially limited to purchasing titles on a single-issue basis.
Nearly a year later, Apple and Time reached an agreement to allow print subscribers to receive free access to the iPad editions to the publisher's major magazine titles. But digital-only subscriptions remained off the table, even as other major publishers such as Hearst were accepting Apple's subscription terms and rolling out their own offerings.
Analyzing on the recent development, AllThingsD reports notes that it is unclear what changed between Time and Apple to now allow full-fledged digital subscriptions, including whether Time simply relented or if it was able to obtain some concession from Apple.
It could be as simple as Time Inc. trying to boost sales that haven't been stellar recently - a slump at its People magazine title is particularly troublesome for the publisher. Or perhaps parent company Time Warner got some other concession from Apple for one of its other units, like HBO or Turner.
Well, opining on the same, Time Inc. CEO Laura Lang in the New York Times reports said that neither Time nor Apple officials would comment on what, if anything, resolved the standoff. "Our goal is to offer content where our consumers want to read it."
Therefore, whatever may the case be, the good news is that the digital subscription pricing for all Time titles may vary, but a flagship title like Sports Illustrated is being offered at a $3.99 monthly rate or a $38.99 annual rate, a significant discount from the $4.99 single-issue pricing for the weekly magazine.
Further the company has informed that monthly and annual subscriptions to all 20 titles - including ALL YOU, Coastal Living, Cooking Light, Entertainment Weekly, ESSENCE, FORTUNE, Golf Magazine, Health, InStyle, Money, PEOPLE, People En Español, People StyleWatch, REAL SIMPLE, Southern Living, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Sunset, This Old House, and TIME - are available now for the U.S. customers and in select international markets.
Additionally, existing print subscribers will be able to access the digital editions at no extra cost. Moreover, single issue copies will also be available.
Further, the Time Inc. apps would be compatible with iPads running iOS 4.0 or later, and are part of the Newsstand for tablets running iOS 5.0 or later.
