Flipboard to offer NYT content from 28 June

25 Jun 2012

The New York Times today announced a collaboration with Flipboard under which it would offer the latest news and journalism designed and formatted for optimal reading on Flipboard for iPad and iPhone. The New York Times would be available on Flipboard from 28 June.

The launch of NYT Everywhere comes as a new strategy designed to expand its reach to users on third-party platforms. The move marks the first time that paid subscribers would be offered full access to its content off a Times platform.

This comes as the first time for Flipboard when readers would be able to access premium content from a publisher within Flipboard's user experience. The authentication and navigation experience was specifically designed for The New York Times by Flipboard.

According to analysts, it had earlier made little sense for The Times, which requires a subscription from people who want to read more than 10 articles per month, to put its complete content on Flipboard, a free app that aggregates users' chosen media brands and social feeds in a magazine format.

Flipboard users have therefore had to settle for pulling in The Times' various social-media feeds, which only offered a selection of Times content. Flipboard also had not been able to display Times articles and photos in the polished, "flip-able" format that was one of the app's central appeals, rather Flipboard had opened web browser windows when users tapped links to Times stories.

From Thursday, however, Flipboard would be able to authenticate existing Times subscribers and give them access to everything The Times published.

This is for the first time that the paper has brought its pay meter to another company's platform. According to the newspaper, the effort formed part of a strategy it called "NYT Everywhere," a variation on the TV industry's bid to allow people to watch TV on all kinds of devices -- "TV Everywhere" -- as long as they also paid for a cable or satellite subscription.

In line with the Times apps for tablets and smartphones, the Top News section of new Times feed for Flipboard would be open even to non-subscribers.