The Financial Times is launching a new mobile application for Apple iOS devices in the U.S. and the U.K., six years after it abandoned the platform following disagreements with Apple over revenue and data sharing.
Jack Marshall of The Wall Street Journal reports, “‘We know that an engaged reader results in a larger lifetime value,’ said Cait O’Riordan, the FT’s chief product and information officer. ‘We want to know if a native app can help drive that engagement number.’
“Since 2011, Apple device users have only been able to access the FT’s full range of content via its mobile website. The FT decided to invest in its web offering rather than a ‘native’ iOS app partly because of Apple’s requirement to be paid a 30% cut of any subscription revenue generated from apps in its App Store, according to people familiar with the matter.
“The new iOS app will therefore only be accessible to existing FT subscribers. New readers won’t be able to purchase subscriptions from within the app itself, but must instead do so from the FT’s website before logging in.”
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