Flipboard Competitor Pulse Partners With WSJ

Just one day after New York Times articles were made available to subscribers via Flipboard, another newsreading app, Pulse, unveiled its own premium offering with content from The Wall Street Journal.
Pulse users can now subscribe to three different Journal channels within Pulse’s apps for iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones, Kindle Fire devices and Nook tablets:

1. WSJ Political Report for $3.99/month. Politics and government news.
2. WSJ Technology Digest for $3.99/month. Technology news and gadget reviews.
3. WSJ Water Cooler for $0.99/month. A selection of editors’ picks across various verticals.

This will be the first of several premium content offerings Pulse plans to introduce in the coming months. Flipboard, too, is planning to expand its catalogue of premium sources, although it doesn’t (yet) offer in-app subscriptions; for now, New York Times readers must purchase their subscriptions outside of Flipboard and then enter their credentials into the app to gain access. While Pulse takes a cut of subscription revenue, Flipboard takes a cut of revenue from advertising run in its app.

The partnerships suggest that both Pulse and Flipboard may soon succeed where the now-defunct Ongo did not. The startup, launched in early 2011, was pitched as a “Hulu for news,” allowing users to access a range of content from premium news providers for one monthly fee. The Guardian, Associated Press, The Washington Post and USA Today were among the initial round of big-name publications that signed on as providers, but the service struggled to amass subscribers.

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In an interview with Bloomberg, Ashkay Kothari, CEO of Pulse maker Alphonso Labs, said the company will “probably” be profitable this year.