We don’t know how much money the Times is bringing in from its paywall since we don’t know how much it’s discounting subscriptions as a marketing tactic. But it’s easily in the tens of millions of dollars.
Since this new revenue stream is so important for the future of the company, it’s time for the NYT Company to break out digital circulation revenue like it does digital ad revenue in its quarterly earnings reports.
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I am just waiting for the next article from GigaOm that claims the NYT paywall is a "dismal failure" and that it will bankrupt the times. Keep dreaming, techies! The news being free is only important in porportion to how important free news makes you!
#1 Posted by Stephen, CJR on Tue 20 Mar 2012 at 04:27 PM
oh well, the guardian is still free.
#2 Posted by kjarsenal, CJR on Wed 21 Mar 2012 at 07:46 AM
Isn't the NYT reducing its monthly freebie count to just 10 next month?
#3 Posted by Noah Body, CJR on Thu 22 Mar 2012 at 12:40 PM
Wow. I just ignore the paywall. When it asks me to subscribe, I just erase all the letters and number to the right of .html on the URL. Press return. Poof. You're in.
#4 Posted by Darrell, CJR on Thu 22 Mar 2012 at 06:15 PM
@Darrell, from some loose talk from those who implement the tech (take it for what it's worth), all the tools are in place to tighten the currently very loose paywall. It only needs the go-ahead from the folks on the 27th floor.
I can't imagine them tightening it yet. They'll first let the 10-article limit get settled in, see how that affects subscriber uptake, and then, probably by EOY'12, tighten the screws.
#5 Posted by Trudie Dunlop, CJR on Fri 30 Mar 2012 at 02:33 AM
Ryan, thanks much for this informative post. I wonder whether you - or anyone else - has looked into the impact the NYT's steep introductory digital discounts have had on its digital subscription rates. When the paywall was first introduced, the NYT offered 4-8 weeks of digital access for $.99 total; folks who took this offer could cancel anytime. Now, with the new, stricter paywall (10 free articles), the NYT is again offering 4-8 weeks of access for $.99 total, again with the ability to cancel anytime. Since, as far as I know, the NYT hasn't broken out digital revenues - sticking instead to subscription figures - it's hard to ferret out just how many of the nearly 500k digital subscribers are only along for the 99-cent ride. Any thoughts?
#6 Posted by Charlie Bean, CJR on Thu 10 May 2012 at 12:26 PM
I can't see why anyone would pay to read articles online but if they do the cost should be literally under 1 per month because of the low overhead associated with such a media outlet.
#7 Posted by Stuart Womack Virginia Bail Bondsman, CJR on Wed 23 May 2012 at 12:46 PM