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October 22, 2015

Apple News launches in UK, promising readers: ‘You no longer need to move from app to app to stay informed’

By William Turvill

Aggregation service Apple News launched in the UK yesterday and has announced partnerships with 14 news organisations.

The service, which collects stories from news sources based on topics users are interested in, is available on Apple devices which are iOS 9 compatible.

Apple said the app means readers "no longer need to move from app to app to stay informed".

Apple said the following organisations are available on the service in the UK: BBC News, Conde Nast, The Economist, Financial Times, The Guardian, Haymarket, Hearst, Immediate Media, Sky News, The Sun, the Telegraph, Time Inc., The Times and Trinity Mirror.

The BBC is taking part in a six-month trial to "understand how users will consume news inside an aggregation service alongside content from other publishers, and how that will impact their consumption of news from the BBC".

The Mirror announced its involvement in a press release yesterday. Its national newspaper website, the Daily Record, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo are among the titles now available on Apple News.

Product director Chris Russell said: “The ways consumers access content and news is changing hugely with digital advancements, highlighting the need for traditional media owners to ensure they adapt with consumers.

“This is a key part of our strategy at Trinity Mirror: the Mirror has the second biggest online audience of any UK newsbrand1, we dominate the top ten regional news sites list2 and several of our titles, including the Mirror and Manchester Evening News, feature in the biggest global news publishers on Facebook3.

“We have had great success at Trinity Mirror expanding our titles onto digital platforms and we hope that being part of Apple News will help us reach new audiences, as well as offering our readers more choice in how they consume content.”

Asked how it makes money out of the partnership, a Trinity Mirror spokesperson said that in the future the publisher will have the opportunity to sell advertising on Apple News. It does not get a stake of Apple's profits from the app.

They said the partnership was about attracting new audiences. The app allows readers to share the articles on social media and Trinity Mirror can put links to its own website in the Apple News stories.

According to Apple, its news service "collects all the stories you want to read, from top news sources, based on topics you’re most interested in – so you no longer need to move from app to app to stay informed.

"News also combines the rich and immersive design found in print with the interactivity of digital media, letting you enjoy stunningly crafted articles that reflect the style of the publications they come from."

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