Apple originally launched its own News app for iOS last June and now the company looks to be expanding the ad offerings of which publishers can take advantage. According to a support document updated recently, Apple will soon start allowing ads that resemble normal articles in the Apple News app (via BI).
According to the document, the new format will be “displayed directly in the content feeds, inline with News articles” and carry an appearance nearly identical to that of normal articles. The sponsored posts will be able to link to an article within the News app and will be supported on both the iPhone and iPad.
As you can see in the example, the only differentiating factor between the sponsored posts and normal articles is a small “Sponsored by ____” indicator beneath the article preview.
Here’s how Apple describes this new option for publishers:
Native ads display directly in the content feeds, inline with News articles. They will be set in the default font used in News. Each ad includes a title, text excerpt and a small image, and is distinguished by a ‘Sponsored’ callout. The sponsored advertiser name is optional. If an advertiser name is not provided, the reader will see ‘Sponsored’ in the banner. Please note, if the title wraps to four lines (especially on iPhone and iPod touch), the excerpt will not be displayed. Native ads can link to an article in News.
Apple announced earlier this year that it was shutting down its iAd network, moving towards an entirely self-serving setup for developers and publishers.
Apple has struggled to monetize Apple News since it was originally launched. Earlier this year it was reported that Apple was developing support for paid subscription content in News, but that has not come to fruition yet. Perhaps with the revelation of new ad formats, Apple will also soon announce support for subscription content as well. Maybe next week at its press event?
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Great. I actually use the News App daily. Now it’s going to be full of advertisement crap. Thanks
Well, that will be the death knell for Apple News as far as I am concerned.
.. and the experiment known as Apple News has concluded.
There really should be a way to disable the Apple News app completely. The news it aggregates seems to be very specific and often the most disturbing stories out there. This is a problem because it shows up on the iOS Search screen and can’t be disabled. (And there’s no parental controls to hide it from kids devices)
Choose a different region:
/Settings/Language & Region/Region
and the app is gone after a reboot.
This is also a way for people to get Apple News who aren’t in The States.
Whoa. I just checked and News isn’t on my iPad or iPhone any more. I remember it. I remember playing with it. I remember putting it in the Garbage folder when I found the App uninteresting. But it’s gone now. I wonder if at first my Devices didn’t realize I was in Canada? Weird. Oh well, it’s not like I am going to miss it.
I loathe Apple News. No sources of interest to me that are not otherwise readily available.
I don’t care at all. It is not even available officially global, e.g. in DE. So well, let it die before it has had a chance.
Horrible. Sponsored articles that are not straightforward about it are the end of journalism as we know it.
I’m glad South Park ran that episode about this — it’s so true.
Sponsored articles are murky waters to begin with, but I guess I’m fine with it so long as the reader knows what it is prior to reading it.
Almost every blog does sponsored posts. So I don’t know why you’re blaming apple news. And it clearly shows a blue “Sponsored” or “Sponsored by ____” on each sponsored post – just like you’re asking for.
I for one find Apple News great! After muting garbage news like Fox News, CNN, etc and adding in my favorite sources such as Bloomverg and Al Jazeera ( I’m using 9to5 through it right now) it’s the perfect daily reading app for me! And the ads are way less intrusive than Flipboard’s.
So…
At this point it’s nearly unanimous. Almost all of us hate/don’t use/don’t want the News App.
Not this is a poll or anything.
Well, you can count me with those that put the News App in my “Garbage” folder and never look at it.
When Apple News was announced, people remarked on how Newsstand had been ignored for a long time. Well, you can add its replacement to that, since there’s been no movement on Apple News Format or anything else we were presented just under a year ago.
…and that will be the last day I use the news app.
Emulating Yahoo News’s crappy way of sneaking in sponsored content is not something to be emulated. Oh well. I actually liked the Apple News app. :-(
I’ve used the news app several time a week and thought it was ok but not great.
If it’s just going to be a way to serve ads – concealed as news – probably I’ll be stopping using it.
Not like Apple – seems more like the google approach.