A PYMNTS Company

Wall Street Journal & New York Times Join Fortnite Feud With Apple

By  |  August 23, 2020
Apple

While Apple is in the middle of a feud with Epic Games over Fortnite And App Store terms, it seems like top American news publishers are joining in on the fight, too. Newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal have asked Apple for their cut of in-app purchases to be reduced to 15%.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    Subscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Currently, Apple charges a 30% commission on the first year of an in-app subscription. It then reduces its cut to 15% if the customer continues their subscription beyond that time, reported the Wall Street Journal. 

    In a letter to Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook on Thursday, August 20, a trade body representing the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other publishers wrote the outlets want to know what it would take for them to get better deal terms.

    “The terms of Apple’s unique marketplace greatly impact the ability to continue to invest in high-quality, trusted news and entertainment particularly in competition with other larger firms,” stated the letter, which is signed by Jason Kint, chief executive of the trade body, Digital Content Next.

    The letter is the latest shot in a high-stakes public battle over how much money developers must pay Apple when they sell content through apps distributed on the company’s devices. Epic Games, the maker of popular video game “Fortnite,” sued Apple and Alphabet’s Google last week after the companies removed the game from their app marketplaces, accusing them of monopolistic behavior.

    Full Content: Bloomberg

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.