Apple Halved App Store Fee To Get Amazon Prime Video On Devices (bloomberg.com) 11
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Apple agreed in 2016 to halve its App Store fee for Amazon as part of a deal to put the e-commerce giant's Prime Video app on Apple's mobile devices and TV set-top box. Eddy Cue, an Apple senior vice president, and Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos negotiated directly on the deal, according to emails released Wednesday as part of a congressional hearing on anticompetitive behavior. The companies agreed to a 15% revenue share for customers who signed up through the app and no revenue share for users who already subscribed via Amazon or elsewhere, the emails showed.
The deal, announced in December 2017, also allowed Amazon's video service to integrate with Apple's voice-activated digital assistant, Siri, and the iPhone maker's TV app, which launched in 2016. In addition, the agreement gave Apple a 15% cut of subscriptions to Amazon Prime partners like Showtime for users who signed up originally through Apple. Apple generally receives a 30% cut for the first year of an app's subscriptions made through the platform. That fee drops to 15% after the first year. The agreement with Amazon is similar to a program Apple announced earlier this year letting select developers avoid the 30% fee in exchange for integrating with certain features. Amazon is part of that program. The report also reveals that Apple once considered taking a 40 percent cut from some subscription apps, according to documents shared today by the House Judiciary Committee.
The deal, announced in December 2017, also allowed Amazon's video service to integrate with Apple's voice-activated digital assistant, Siri, and the iPhone maker's TV app, which launched in 2016. In addition, the agreement gave Apple a 15% cut of subscriptions to Amazon Prime partners like Showtime for users who signed up originally through Apple. Apple generally receives a 30% cut for the first year of an app's subscriptions made through the platform. That fee drops to 15% after the first year. The agreement with Amazon is similar to a program Apple announced earlier this year letting select developers avoid the 30% fee in exchange for integrating with certain features. Amazon is part of that program. The report also reveals that Apple once considered taking a 40 percent cut from some subscription apps, according to documents shared today by the House Judiciary Committee.
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Re:So what (Score:4, Funny)
So Appke decided that hsving amazon prine in their devise was worh giving Anazon a bit if a orice reducten, Amazon saved a bit of money, and All currently sopported IOS/iPad os/TV os devices got the prome app, whst js the fuss about, apoart from apples bean counters ir looks like evrybody wins?
-- Sent from my iPhoan
Re:So what (Score:5, Insightful)
The big deal is that it's designed to be clickbait.
The articles are written to seem that Apple gave Amazon a special deal to get Prime on iOS, something no other company got.
This is because Tim Cook keeps saying "All developers are treated the same" so there's a lot of digging to try to find where Tim Cook gave some company preferential treatment in the App Store.
Where they messed up was that at the same time Amazon got the deal, so did everyone else which is why content providers get 15% across the board. But the articles are written to omit that fact (either intentionally or through ignorance) to get the crowd stirred up as "Apple gave Amazon a special deal! They lied! They said everyone got the same deal!".
Especially since 30% is being parroted around like it's a magic number and Amazon got that halved. It's basically trying to manufacture a conspiracy when one didn't exist
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Have you considered applying for the job of Slashdot editor?
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15% has been the standard since 2015... (Score:5, Informative)
What's the Point? (Score:2)
Apple TV's remote sucks so bad I basically took my brand new Apple TV and put it in the closet to be sold at my next yard sale.
Worst user experience ever.
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Same with Roku's. Stop simplifying the RCs!! I want physical buttons with numbers!