News organizations want more favorable terms on the Apple App Store

Several big news organizations are joining the list of companies pushing for more favorable terms on the Apple App Store, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In a letter to CEO Tim Cook on Thursday, a trade body representing the WSJ, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and other publishers said the outlets want to know what it would take for them to get better deal terms—which would allow them to keep more money from digital subscriptions sold through Apple’s app store.

Apple charges a 30% commission fee on first-year subscriptions purchased through apps hosted on the App Store. After the first year, the commission fee drops to 15%. 

Apple claims it doesn’t offer any special “deals” on commissions. However, as AppleInsider has noted, Apple exec Eddy Cue cut a deal in which Amazon would share 15% of revenues generated by new subscribers who signed up for Prime Video through an in-app purchase.

Now that news of this deal has leaked, the news organizations want similar treatment. Their letter, penned by Jason Kint, chief executive of the trade body, Digital Content Next, reads: “I ask that you clearly define the conditions that Amazon satisfied for its arrangement so that DCN’s member companies meeting those conditions can be offered the same agreement.”