Many companies have stared Apple in the eye over Cupertino’s App Store ultimatum to ban links to out-of-app purchases by June 30th. Now the first one to blink is the streaming video subscription service, Hulu.
Hulu, which once offered a hulu.com/plus sign-up link to its Hulu Plus service, has removed the option from its iOS app. The move means the streaming video company won’t have to shell out 30 percent to Apple for each subscriber added through the app. Earlier this year, Apple gave developers a June 30 deadline to either get rid of any outside links or pay up.
The video subscription service has the Financial Times to thank for being able to offer a Hulu app and keep 100 percent of its subscriber revenue. After the FTyanked its iOS app instead of pay the 30 percent cut, Apple relented on an earlier demand that any iOS in-app subscription offers had to match the price available elsewhere.
Still uncertain is where iOS heavyweights Netflix and Amazon will come down before the deadline. Both offer “buy” buttons in their apps, a feature that is integral to their success. Will the two borrow from the FT playbook and muscle Apple for further concessions? Grab some popcorn and watch the sparks fly.
