Facebook Adds News Subscription Feature for Android Only, As Apple Still Demands 30 Percent Cut
Facebook is offering newspapers a better chance to survive in today's digital world by offering paid subscriptions on their platform, without even charging them a fee. That's in stark contrast to Apple, who wants a hefty 30 percent slice of the revenue to agree to make the feature available on the Facebook iOS app.
Mark Zuckerberg, for all his missteps past and recent, has always extended a hand to keep the independent press healthy and working. As he said in his message last August, he has always looked to news organizations as a vital part of keeping the discussions on the Facebook platform informed.
"We can't do that without journalists, but we also know that new technologies can make it harder for publishers to fund the journalism we all rely on," he noted, adding that for this reason, Facebook has started a Journalism Project that, among other things, would make it easier for news organizations to grow their subscription.
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"If people subscribe after seeing news stories on Facebook, the money will go directly to publishers who work hard to uncover the truth, and Facebook won't take a cut," he explained.
Apple, however, is not letting this go on their devices without taking their cut. It's a hefty 30 percent slice, too, according to Recode.
Sources close to the discussion claim that the two companies have been at the negotiation table about this for months now. The tool would supposedly allow publishers to earn from the "Instant Articles" that they post on Facebook.
One is a "metered" feature that asks for a subscription after about ten articles read per month. There's also a "freemium" version that puts individual articles behind cheap paywalls.
In the end, Facebook has decided to launch the feature just for Android. Apple and Facebook have not put out statements regarding this new development.
"We're going to keep experimenting with different ways to support the news industry and make sure reporters and publishers everywhere can keep doing their important work," Zuckerberg promised at the end of his message.
