Opera Seeking To Launch Subscription-Based App Stores

Read original story on: Gizmodo

Inspired by the success of Spotify and Netflix, Opera thinks users are ready to consume mobile apps via subscriptions as well. The software company is reportedly pitching curated versions of the company’s app store to mobile operators, which allows them to create their own stores. Users would pay a weekly fee to access as many apps as they wished within the selection.

Currently, Opera hosts 300,000 titles in its app store, and boasts around 100 million visitors every month. This could prove to be a good idea to encourage downloads. It will be interesting to see how Opera handles the ownership of downloaded apps after subscription expires.

Opera Gives Users Free Mobile Internet In Exchange For Ads

Opera, looking to gain a foothold in the mobile browser market, introduced a new initiative called Sponsored Web Pass, a new version of the pay-as-you-go Web Pass service that provides free Internet in exchange for watching sponsored messages. Advertisers work with the operators to select the best ad packages for potential viewers, and any offers that are acquired by users within these packages are only redeemable within Opera’s browser, keeping users within the app. It’s an interesting take on in-app purchases, and indeed presents a different way for advertising companies to target their audience specifically on mobile.