In a move which is diametrically opposed to current thinking regarding web content – that it must be shared in the hope of going ‘viral’ – the online editions of The Times and Sunday Times are about to go subscription only.
It’s been instigated by Rupert Murdoch’s News International in an attempt to stop the free distribution of its intellectual property. Reports suggest that the papers made a loss of £87m last year which its executives argue – quite reasonably – that they cannot sustain. And although the sites carry online advertising, they argue that this alone does not generate enough revenue to sustain the free business model.
So, as of the end of June, the papers will be placed behind a ‘paywall’ which requires visitors to pay to go beyond. Fees are reasonable and designed to encourage subscription rather than more casual reading. To access the site one must pay a £1 per day or £2 per week subscription.
Search engines will be barred too, and instead of offering ‘preview’ content like several pay sites do, the Times and Sunday Times will be completely invisible to Google et al. Also, any links to articles within the web sites will lead the visitor to the payment page, rather than the article itself.
It’s an experiment that other media owners will be watching with great interest, as its success could result in an attitude shift away from free content and towards a pay model. But given that the concept flies in the face of the spirit of sharing, tweeting and other aspects of the ‘social media’ ethos it will be very interesting to see if visitors – used to free news – will be willing to pay for it.
Tags: News, Newspaper, Paid for content, Social Media, twitter, viral, web content
