I kind of get why #Apple kills their app affiliate program, but it still sucks for publishers trying to survive while offering content on popular and less popular apps and games. As engaging as the App Store editorial content is, and it is in my opinion, it’s become a lot harder to make money writing about apps now.
I guess now, as a site, you have to make deals directly with mobile app publishers to cover their content. Which may jeopardize editorial independence and turn all content into sponsored posts. Not ideal. Alternatively, these publishers now need other revenue streams, including donations.
The idealist in me hopes independent writers and publishers can stay afloat by writing unique enough, in-depth content that is worth paying for. But the realist in me sees only a very small paying audience for websites like TouchArcade.com and others in its current form. Maybe one great, in-depth review per day is worth paying for… But maybe it isn’t…
I’m curious to see how many smaller Apple news sites will be affected by this (including Dutch ones like iCulture and OneMoreThing.nl, I have no clue how much they depend on affiliate links to the App Store, but since iCulture posts daily deal threads that they might kill now, it might be a lot).