Hulu Plus app drops promo link to comply with Apple rules
updated 11:00 am EDT, Mon June 20, 2011
NYT, WSJ still mum on subscription plans
Hulu has modified the Hulu Plus iOS app to conform with Apple's App Store subscription rules, which are now in force. The change is simple, removing a link from the login screen which directed people to the Hulu Plus website. Apple's subscription rules ban apps which link to external methods of paying for in-app content, even though external options do work.
The explanation is that Apple claims a 30 percent cut of all in-app subscription revenue. Before putting subscription rules into full effect, though, the company recently backed off on some of the most contentious terms. App subscriptions must no longer cost the same or less in-app as they do through a web portal, and indeed an in-app subscription button has become purely optional.
Some major companies are remaining mum on their plans to conform to subscription rules. The New York Times has declined to comment, for instance, on how it will implement a subscription plan while also meeting Apple's guidelines. News Corp. likewise is not talking about how it will implement app subscriptions for the Wall Street Journal. Users of the iPad app must currently pay for issues individually.
