Rumor: Apple plans to add audio to its Apple News+ service

Apple plans to add audio to its Apple News+ service, according to Digiday. The tech giant has been asking the publishers participating in its year-old premium program for permission to produce audio versions of the stories distributed there, the article adds, quoting unnamed “sources at four different publishers that have heard the pitch.”

Digiday says Apple will handle production costs, and compensate publishers in the same way it compensates them for the written content available on Apple News+. The company gives 50% of subscriber revenue to publishers based on how much time those subscribers spend with publishers’ content in a 30-day period

Chances the rumor is true, according to the Sellers Research Group (that’s me): 85%. It makes sense. Though Apple says Apple News +, its US$9.99/month subscription service now has over 125 million active users, some reports claim that’s far less than the company wants. Adding audio might be another attraction for potential subscribers.