Users of Apple News will continue to see publications like The Wall Street Journal through the service for the foreseeable future, as Apple has signed a new expanded licensing agreement with News Corp. News Corp.
CEO Robert Thomson revealed in Thursday’s quarterly earnings report that the company has reached a new agreement with Apple. While details are scarce, he said it was a more profound deal than previous releases.
In addition to our substantial deals with Google and Facebook, we have extended and expanded our multi-year global agreement with Apple, Thomson said, according to Press-Gazette. Thomson expects this deal to be our news around the world A significant source of subscription and advertising revenue for websites.
As part of his comments, Thomson praised Apple CEO Tim Cook and senior vice president of services Eddie Cue. There is no doubt that the two have an intuitive, enlightened understanding of the importance of professional journalism, and we are very grateful for their personal commitment and the business behind them, Thomson continued.
While no real details of the deal itself have been confirmed, it could offer Apple News users more than they’re used to. A 2019 deal with News Corp brought The Wall Street Journal as one of only two major publications to sign up for an Apple News+ subscription.
In August 2020, News Corp said it was seeing results with its Apple News+ subscription, as the platform attracted a truly different audience than usual for The Wall Street Journal.
In addition to The Wall Street Journal, News Corp also offers The Times in the UK under Apple News+, and content from The New York Post and The Sun can also be viewed under Apple News’ free service.