Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Kourtney Kardashian App the Latest Addition to Kollection of Whalerock Kardashian Kontent

The Kardashian-Jenner sisters all have their own apps now.

Whalerock Industries

Kim has an app. Khloe has an app. Kylie has an app. Kendall has an app. And now Kourtney Kardashian finally has an app of her own.

The app, which includes a mix of free and $3-a-month subscription content, is available for download from the iOS and Google Play app stores. The Kardashian clan’s apps are made by Whalerock Industries, a Santa Monica-based media company co-founded and led by Lloyd Braun, a former senior exec at ABC and Yahoo.

Braun’s thesis for launching all these apps is pretty straightforward. Celebrities, especially those with giant followings on social media, generate a lot of free stuff on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat that they don’t control. At the Code/Media conference earlier this year, Braun announced that Whalerock was launching a line of apps where celebrities could push out their own exclusive content, onstage next to his first enlisted star, adolescent-adored rapper/beatmaker Tyler, the Creator. Of course, Apple and Google still get a cut of the revenue the apps generate.

kourtney kardashian app

In an interview, Whalerock President Jeff Berman told Re/code that the apps create “an opportunity to connect the artist directly with the audience — completely unmediated.” Jen Garcia, the former People Magazine editor who joined Whalerock earlier this year to oversee the Kardashian apps, added that “these apps are providing so much more than what’s available elsewhere.”

“These are supposed to be a one-stop shop, but specifically about each sister. We’re bringing you premium video, livestreams and more,” Garcia said. “We are independent from E! (the TV network that airs Kardashian programs), but we work really well together. It really complements what they do on the reality show.”

The Kardashian-Jenner Whalerock apps offer livestreams, video, news updates and more. They began launching in mid-September, and Berman says they were immediately among the top-grossing entertainment products on iOS and Android. Currently, Kourtney’s app is the highest rated of all the Whalerock properties on the iOS App Store; she has a 4.5-star rating, whereas none of her sisters are higher than 2.5. Tyler, the Creator’s Golf Media app has a three-star rating.

As for why Kourtney’s app came later than those of her sisters, Garcia said that “She has had a lot going on in her life, she had a lot to juggle and we wanted to wait until it was the right moment for her.”

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Podcasts
Are humanoid robots all hype?Are humanoid robots all hype?
Podcast
Podcasts

AI is making them better — but they’re not going to be doing your chores anytime soon.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Future Perfect
The old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemicThe old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemic
Future Perfect

Glycol vapors, explained.

By Shayna Korol
Future Perfect
Elon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wantsElon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wants
Future Perfect

It’s not about who wins. It’s about the dirty laundry you air along the way.

By Sara Herschander
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North
Culture
Anthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque messAnthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque mess
Culture

“Your AI monster ate all our work. Now you’re trying to pay us off with this piece of garbage that doesn’t work.”

By Constance Grady
Future Perfect
Some deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapySome deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapy
Future Perfect

A medical field that almost died is quietly fixing one disease at a time.

By Bryan Walsh