The Daily is (was?) also available in a limited manner for Android tablets, billed through Verizon[1]. Apple's payment mechanism apparently had something going for it that The Daily management did not see in Google's Play Store, to the degree that making a carrier deal seemed like a good idea.
Was it The Daily that struck a deal with Verizon, or Verizon who courted The Daily? The latter is to me the more likely scenario. Purely speculating, Verizon could have offered The Daily distribution to its millions of Android customers at a rate better than Apple's 30% off the top.
[1] http://learn.thedaily.com/android/