The Telegraph launches subscription-based iPad app utilising Apple’s in-app payments

The Telegraph has today released a refreshed version of its iPad application, introducing a new subscription-based service that aims to emulate the success of its broadsheet paper in the digital market.

Paidcontent reports that the app, created by the same company that helped produce the The Times’ iPad application, is a free download but will require users to purchase “editions” for £1.19 each or £9.99 per month, which are processed within the app using Apple’s in-app payment platform.

The announcement and subsequent release of The Telegraph’s updated iPad application suggests the company is readying its subscription policies so it can roll out a new paywalled website that will charge readers to access specific websites and services in The Telegraph’s portfolio.

Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has already contacted a number of digital agencies to help adapt the Telegraph website, which currently features content from The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.

Sources believe that TMG will adopt a similar strategy to the Financial Times, where it offers limited free access to content before requiring the reader to subscribe to view any additional content. As it stands, TMG says it has not made the decision to place its content behind a paywall but it has been claimed that limited free access with the option to subscribe would be the best way to combat declining print sales.

The pricing of the Telegraph’s iPad app is similar to The Times, costing more than the printed broadsheet paper. The increase in price is expected to compensate for Apple’s 30% commission fee, which it takes from each new subscription via the iPad application. However, the £9.99 monthly fee introduces a significant saving, directing users towards taking out monthly subscription.

Print subscribers will be able to access the app for free by entering their subscriber number into the application, a clever touch which will ensure the Group doesn’t lose readers that want to switch from print to digital editions.