Apple has been struggling to add new subscribers to its Apple News+ service that launched in March, according to a new report from CNBC that cites people familiar with Apple News+.
When Apple News+ debuted, Apple signed on approximately 200,000 subscribers within 48 hours, but has not had luck attracting many new customers. The subscriber count has not "increased materially from its first couple of days," based on information from CNBC's sources.
Apple News+, which offers up access to magazines and newspapers for $9.99 per month, was promoted at launch, but Apple has not been heavily marketing it since then. Despite this, Apple is said to be committed to improving Apple News for years to come.
Publishers who thought the service would bring in more revenue are "disappointed" with poor sales. Apple takes 50 percent of the revenue from every Apple News+ subscriber, while the rest of the money is doled out to publishers based on the amount of time that subscribers spend reading their content.
One publisher has received between $20,000 and $30,000 per month from Apple News+, which is lower than expected. Another publisher told CNBC that while Apple News+ revenue growth is lower than anticipated, advertising from the free Apple News product has consistently climbed.
A Bloomberg report from earlier today suggested Apple is considering a bundle that would include Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple News+ for one monthly price, which could potentially make Apple News+ more appealing because other services would be available alongside it. Such a bundle could be released as early as 2020.
