Apple Expands News Offerings With Audio 726i3m Local Newspaper Stories

Apple says it has 125 million monthly active s of its Apple News product. 5in33

By Reuters | Updated: 16 July 2020 10:32 IST

Apple Expands News Offerings With Audio, Local Newspaper Stories

Photo Credit: Apple 62m2c

Apple also said it would offer expanded access to local news in its app

Highlights

Apple says it has 125 million monthly active s of its Apple News
Apple News+ costs $9.99 a month for US s
Apple is also launching a weekday morning audio news program

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Apple on Wednesday expanded its news offerings with audio versions of stories narrated by voice actors for subscribers, a morning newscast hosted by two journalists and more access to local newspaper stories.

Apple says it has 125 million monthly active s of its iPhone maker maintains a staff of editors that curate the stories in both the paid and free versions of its app.

Apple said Wednesday that paying subscribers will gain access to audio versions of longer stories from magazines such as such as Esquire and Vanity Fair, along with newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.

The audio effort intensifies competition with Spotify, which has been expanding its podcast business with news content.

Apple is also launching a weekday morning audio news program called Apple News Today, which will be hosted by New York-based journalists Shumita Basu and Duarte Geraldino and highlight stories from the publishers that work with Apple. The show will be available to both free and paying s, and both it and the audio stories will also be adapted for Apple's CarPlay, the system that connects iPhones to many newer vehicles.

Apple also said it would offer expanded access to local news in its app, starting with five metro areas in the United States: San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York. Apple will maintain editors in each area to curate local stories, and paying News+ subscribers will get access to content from the local newspapers that take part in the program.

Last month, the New York Times left Apple News, saying publishers should be fairly compensated for their content and that the program is not align with its strategy of building direct relationships with paying readers.

© Thomson Reuters 2020

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