Over 200,000 users signed up for Apple News+ during its first 48 hours, report says

The reception to Apple News+ has been mixed since its announcement last week. Today, a new report from The New York Times sheds more light on the consumer and publisher reaction to Apple’s new subscription news and magazine service.

According to the report, Apple News+ secured more than 200,000 people during its first 48 hours of availability. All of these users are taking advantage of the free trial period, however, so it’s unclear how many will convert into paying subscribers.

On the other hand, 200,000 initial users is said to be “more than Texture had amassed at its peak.” Texture is the magazine subscription service that Apple acquired last year, and the platform on which much of Apple News+ is based.

The marketing event seems to have accomplished its goal. More than 200,000 people subscribed to Apple News Plus in its first 48 hours — more than Texture had amassed at its peak, according to two people with knowledge of the figures who asked not to be named to discuss confidential information.

As for publisher reaction to Apple News+, Pamela Wasserstein of New York Media noted that the optimism surrounding Apple News+ has significantly cooled. Many in the publishing business are said to be more cautious about the effects of the subscription service:

“There was great optimism around partnerships, and I think that optimism has largely cooled, and people are now more cautious,” said Ms. Wasserstein, the chief executive of New York Media, the publisher of New York magazine and web titles like The Cut and Vulture.

Apple News’ editor-in chief, Lauren Kern, is said to be popular among publishers such as Wasserstein. Kern is praised for knowing “what great content is.”

“Lauren being there gives me confidence, but it’s not that she knows who we are, but that she knows what great content is,” said Ms. Wasserstein, of New York Media.

Both The Washington Post and New York Times remain firm holdouts from Apple News+. A report yesterday detailed how Eddy Cue fiercely negotiated to add the two publishers to the service, but ultimately came up short.

The full piece from The New York Times can be read here.