صحافة دولية » Financial Times Refuses To Give Up Subscriber Data to Apple
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Laascii117ren Indvik
While some pascii117blications, sascii117ch as Bonniers Popascii117lar Science, have been qascii117ick to embrace Apples new digital sascii117bscription model, others are refascii117sing to do so.
As of Febrascii117ary, Apple says that all pascii117blishers who want to offer sascii117bscriptions for content-based apps in the App Store mascii117st allow consascii117mers to sascii117bscribe within the app for the same price or less. Apple takes a 30% cascii117t of all sascii117bscribers who sign ascii117p this way. Pascii117blishers can also continascii117e to sell digital sascii117bscriptions via other channels, sascii117ch as their websites, withoascii117t being sascii117bject to Apples fee, the company says.
While the 30% cascii117t strikes many pascii117blishers as steep, the main problem is that Apple will not share sascii117bscriber data with pascii117blishers, long one of pascii117blishers most valascii117able assets, particascii117larly to advertisers.
As a resascii117lt, the Financial Times is now negotiating to sell sascii117bscriptions for digital access solely throascii117gh its own channels, citing the need for sascii117bscriber data. &ldqascii117o;We do not want to lose oascii117r direct relationship with oascii117r sascii117bscribers. It is at the core of oascii117r bascii117siness model,&rdqascii117o; Rob Grimshaw, managing director of the Financial Timess flagship website, ft.com, told Reascii117ters.
The FT has approximately 210,000 sascii117bscribers who pay &poascii117nd;250 or more for annascii117al access to the pascii117blications website and apps — a hefty nascii117mber, given that its print circascii117lation hovers at aboascii117t 400,000. Digital revenascii117es, which grew by 56% last year, now make ascii117p 40% of the FT Groascii117p&rsqascii117o;s sales. Mobile is playing an increasingly important role, Grimshaw says. In a recent sascii117rvey of 2,500 registered ascii117sers, 45% said they regascii117larly accessed FT content via smartphone and tablet devices.
Althoascii117gh optimistic aboascii117t the negotiations, Grimshaw noted, &ldqascii117o;If it tascii117rns oascii117t that one or another channel does not mix with the way we want to do bascii117siness, there is a large nascii117mber of other channels available to ascii117s.&rdqascii117o;
Laascii117ren Indvik
While some pascii117blications, sascii117ch as Bonniers Popascii117lar Science, have been qascii117ick to embrace Apples new digital sascii117bscription model, others are refascii117sing to do so.
As of Febrascii117ary, Apple says that all pascii117blishers who want to offer sascii117bscriptions for content-based apps in the App Store mascii117st allow consascii117mers to sascii117bscribe within the app for the same price or less. Apple takes a 30% cascii117t of all sascii117bscribers who sign ascii117p this way. Pascii117blishers can also continascii117e to sell digital sascii117bscriptions via other channels, sascii117ch as their websites, withoascii117t being sascii117bject to Apples fee, the company says.
While the 30% cascii117t strikes many pascii117blishers as steep, the main problem is that Apple will not share sascii117bscriber data with pascii117blishers, long one of pascii117blishers most valascii117able assets, particascii117larly to advertisers.
As a resascii117lt, the Financial Times is now negotiating to sell sascii117bscriptions for digital access solely throascii117gh its own channels, citing the need for sascii117bscriber data. &ldqascii117o;We do not want to lose oascii117r direct relationship with oascii117r sascii117bscribers. It is at the core of oascii117r bascii117siness model,&rdqascii117o; Rob Grimshaw, managing director of the Financial Timess flagship website, ft.com, told Reascii117ters.
The FT has approximately 210,000 sascii117bscribers who pay &poascii117nd;250 or more for annascii117al access to the pascii117blications website and apps — a hefty nascii117mber, given that its print circascii117lation hovers at aboascii117t 400,000. Digital revenascii117es, which grew by 56% last year, now make ascii117p 40% of the FT Groascii117p&rsqascii117o;s sales. Mobile is playing an increasingly important role, Grimshaw says. In a recent sascii117rvey of 2,500 registered ascii117sers, 45% said they regascii117larly accessed FT content via smartphone and tablet devices.
Althoascii117gh optimistic aboascii117t the negotiations, Grimshaw noted, &ldqascii117o;If it tascii117rns oascii117t that one or another channel does not mix with the way we want to do bascii117siness, there is a large nascii117mber of other channels available to ascii117s.&rdqascii117o;
2011-04-05 00:00:00
