The New York Times has quit Apple News

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The New York Times has quit Apple News
The New York Times headquarters.Spencer Platt/Getty Images
  • The New York Times has removed its content from Apple News.
  • The Times' COO said in a memo that Apple News wasn't sending readers directly to The Times, and didn't allow the paper to control the presentation of its reporting.
  • Apple News takes a 30% cut of any subscriptions made through its app.
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The New York Times has walked away from Apple News.

The paper announced on Monday, June 29, that it was ending its partnership with Apple, saying Apple News stopped the Times from directly connecting with readers, and reduced its control over the placement of its articles.

"Core to a healthy model between The Times and the platforms is a direct path for sending those readers back into our environments, where we control the presentation of our report, the relationships with our readers and the nature of our business rules," New York Times COO Meredith Kopit Levien said in a memo to staff.

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Apple News, launched in 2015, is an app that presents news stories from mainstream outlets, picked and placed by human curators. It was touted as a way for publishers to grow their business at a time when tech platforms were upending traditional revenue streams.

The New York Times' business model is heavily focused on reader subscriptions, and Apple takes a 30% cut of any subscriptions bought through Apple News. This is because Apple mandates any in-app payments use the company's own payment system, which levies a 15-30% commission.

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In a statement to Business Insider an Apple spokesperson said the paper only sent through "a few stories a day."

"We are also committed to supporting quality journalism through the proven business models of advertising, subscriptions, and commerce," the spokesperson said, adding that Apple News has over 125 million users.

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