FTC Probes Apple News for Using Secret Deals to Bury Independent Media
FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson is investigating Apple News for anti-competitive gatekeeping through secret revenue-sharing agreements. These 'Preferred Provider' deals ensure legacy outlets dominate user feeds while independent competitors are suppressed by 30% fees and technical barriers.
Apple News is using secret financial deals and technical lock-ins to ensure legacy media dominates user feeds while independent journalists are buried by 30% platform fees.
On February 12, 2026, FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson issued a formal inquiry into Apple News, targeting what he described as 'anti-competitive algorithmic curation.' While mainstream outlets frame the investigation as a debate over political bias, internal documents and financial structures reveal a more precise engine of control: a closed-loop economy that favors legacy giants through secret revenue-sharing agreements.
At the center of the dispute is the Apple News+ Publisher Agreement. Standard digital creators are charged a mandatory 30% commission on subscriptions, but Apple—under Senior VP of Services Eddy Cue—offers undisclosed 'Preferred Provider' terms to select legacy publishers. An AllSides Bias Analysis of Apple News 'Top Stories' found an 85% concentration of content from just five legacy publishers who are integrated into the Apple News+ bundle. This creates a system where the fees paid by independent outlets effectively subsidize the placement of their corporate competitors.
To qualify for 'Top Stories' or 'Trending' visibility, publishers must also adopt the proprietary 'Apple News Format' (ANF). This technical requirement acts as a gatekeeper, forcing smaller newsrooms to divert limited resources into Apple-specific infrastructure or face algorithmic burial. These legacy partners, including The New York Times Company, have traded their direct reader relationships for guaranteed visibility, protected by strict NDAs that prevent the disclosure of their actual revenue-share percentages.
Apple’s internal curation team manually prioritizes outlets with these direct financial ties, transforming what appears to be a neutral news feed into a pay-to-play showroom. By leveraging its hardware monopoly to collect rent from independents while exempting its 'Preferred Providers,' Apple has moved beyond being a platform to acting as a sovereign regulator of information.
For the average user, this means the 'news' is no longer a reflection of what is happening, but a reflection of who has the best deal with Apple. As independent investigative journalism is starved of discoverability, the public is left with a homogenized information diet dictated by corporate bottom lines rather than editorial rigor.
Summary
FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson is investigating Apple News for anti-competitive gatekeeping through secret revenue-sharing agreements. These 'Preferred Provider' deals ensure legacy outlets dominate user feeds while independent competitors are suppressed by 30% fees and technical barriers.
⚡ Key Facts
- FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson issued a formal inquiry on Feb 12, 2026, regarding Apple's algorithmic gatekeeping.
- Apple News+ 'Preferred Provider' agreements offer secret revenue terms to legacy outlets while charging independents a 30% fee.
- 85% of 'Top Stories' are concentrated among five legacy publishers integrated into the Apple News+ bundle.
- Proprietary 'Apple News Format' (ANF) requirements create technical hurdles that disproportionately exclude smaller, independent newsrooms.
- Internal curation teams prioritize outlets with direct financial ties to Apple's subscription services, according to technical documentation.
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