Before it had a common HTML5 reader across the iOS, Android and Web platforms. Marvel Entertainment’s Vice President of Digital Products, Kristin Vincent mentioned “the entire reader is re-written. This is basically a Netflix style subscription service where comics have to be older than six months to be included. Marvel developed and implemented a new Digital Comics Reader for their Unlimited App.
Still, Marvel is preparing for life after Comixology in order to have more control over their digital distribution. Until the Marvel contract with Comixology is renewed, things should stay normal for now. For now, the Marvel app, which is powered by Comixology still offers the ability to make in-app purchases. This was done to phase out the 30% commission Apple generates on each sale. iPad and iPhone owners have a massive amount of disdain for Comixology pulling the ability the buy comics and instead are prompted to visit this website. Amazon purchased Comixology and Thrillbent released a digital comic store. And in March, Comixology added Nerdist’s Peter Levin to its board of advisers.Digital comics are doing brisk business and in the last month we have seen sweeping changes in the industry. Compared to the same quarter in 2010, that’s a 450 percent increase, the startup confirmed to me. The company’s iOS apps are routinely topping the list of highest grossing in-app purchases, with 65 million total issues downloaded since launching. With this new agreement Comixology is in a pretty good spot. I noticed that this functionality was enabled about a month ago, but apparently the company is just now making an official announcement.
You have to have either a Marvel Comics or Comixology account to activate the free digital copy, but it’s exactly the same download you’d get when paying for the digital copy alone. Essentially, Marvel places a code inside the physical copy that can be redeemed through Marvel’s website. The two companies also announced that the “free digital copy” Marvel has been offering on some of its physical issue comics will now be available on Comixology. The deal with Marvel is for multiple years, and does not include sales of graphic novels, which have traditionally been treated more like regular books in the digital space. Now nyone who wants to buy a digital comic book from Marvel or DC must use either Comixology’s line of mobile apps (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire) or go through the publisher’s own digital store.
Comixology currently has a similar deal to sell exclusive single issue comics with DC, the industry’s second largest publisher accounting for nearly half of all comic sales. But the new deal with Marvel means the few people who weren’t already using the service will probably start. What does that mean for comic fans? Well, a great deal of people already use Comixology to buy digital comics, as VentureBeat previously pointed out in our guide to digital comics.
0 kommentar(er)
