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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Tinder becomes the top-grossing, non-game app in Q1 2019, ending Netflix's reign [techcrunch.com]

For the first time in years, Netflix is no longer the top grossing, non-game mobile app. Instead, that title now goes to dating app Tinder. The change in position is not surprising, given Netflix's decision in December to stop paying the so-called "Apple tax." [techcrunch.com] That is, it no longer allows new users to sign up and subscribe to its service through its iOS application.

The change was said to cost Apple hundreds of millions [techcrunch.com] in lost revenue per year, given that Netflix's app had been the world's top-earning, non-game app since Q4 2016. Now, instead of giving up its 15 to 30 percent cut of subscription revenue, new users have to sign up through Netflix's website before they can use the app on mobile devices, including both iOS and Android. (Netflix had dropped in-app subscriptions on Android [netflix.com] earlier.)

[...] In Q1 2019, Sensor Tower estimates Netflix pulled in $216.3 million globally, across both the Apple App Store and Google Play, down 15 percent quarter-over-quarter from $255.7 million in Q4 2018.

Meanwhile, Tinder's revenue has climbed. In the first quarter, it saw revenue grow by 42 percent year-over-year, to reach $260.7 million, up from $183 million in Q1 2018. That put it at the top, according to both Sensor Tower and App Annie's estimates [appannie.com].

Netflix and chill Tinder and bang.

Previously: Netflix is the Latest Company to Try Bypassing Apple's App Store [soylentnews.org]

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