Flipboard — the social reading app for iOS and Android — has just announced that New York Times subscribers will be able to read all the paper’s content through the app, on any platform, from this Friday onwards. That’s a big deal for the New York Times, Flipboard and readers alike.
Previously, Flipboard has only offered previews of magazine and newspaper articles, having to link readers out to official websites for full-on content. The New York Times is the first big publisher it’s managed to convince to give it full access to its “premium” content.
Similarly, it’s the first time the Times has ever given a third-party organisation full access to all of its content. According to All Things D, the paper says it wants to emulate pay TV’s “TV Everywhere” strategy so that subscribers can read the paper using any device or software they want.
It’s difficult to see quite what’s in it for the Times, but it’s certainly no bad thing for readers: Flipboard’s interface is a lot nicer than wading through a Google Reader feed or the clunky New York Times‘ website. Is this the future of traditional media consumption? [All Things D]