Tag Archives: paywalls

Trying a Simple Model

January 15, 2012 – 8:16 pm

TweetAdvertising still dominates the newspaper revenue model. Depending upon the particular country, it is not uncommon to see print dailies getting 70% to 80% of their revenue from advertising. In the early days of the digital era, when business plans were driven by “eyeballs”, everybody hoped to replicate the tried and true print advertising revenue [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in newspapers, online publishing | Comments (14)

Cracking the Paywall

January 8, 2012 – 11:04 pm

Tweet(This version corrects an error in the percentage for the price increase of the FT) Every newspaper, magazine or website is working on a paywall of sorts and closely monitoring what everyone else is doing. In almost every news company, execs are morosely watching advertising projections and finding numbers that are not exactly encouraging. For [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in newspapers | Also tagged , | Comments (19)

My 2012 Watch List

December 18, 2011 – 11:00 pm

TweetWhen it comes to cracking the digital media code, 2011 involved more testing than learning. Media companies seem to be locked in a feverish search mode. Their sense of urgency is reinforced by the continuous depletion of worldwide fundamentals: digital advertising’s encephalogram remains flat (at best); and when audiences grow, revenues do not necessarily correlate. [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in journalism, online publishing | Also tagged | Comments (8)

Analyzing the metered model

June 5, 2011 – 5:03 pm

TweetThe metered model deserves a closer look. One the dirtiest little secrets of the online media business is the actual number of truly loyal readers — as opposed to fly-bys. No one really wants to know (let alone let anyone else know). Using a broad brush, about half of the audience is composed of casual [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in online publishing | Also tagged | Comments (32)

The NYT’s Melting Iceberg Syndrome

March 27, 2011 – 5:09 pm

TweetCould the New York Times be viable as a digital-only operation? What a ridiculous question: With almost a million copies sold every day, why would this preeminent newspaper even consider such a drastic withdrawal from the physical world? Truth is: there is no urgency, no need to initiate, nor to accelerate the switch — at [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in online publishing | Also tagged | Comments (16)

NYTimes’ “Fair” Prices

March 21, 2011 – 7:10 am

TweetToday, both Jean-Louis and I struggle with the same topic: last week’s announcement of the New York Time’s strange paywall structure. For a digital newspaper, there is no such thing as a fair price. Too many questionable assumptions, too many variables, too many ways to play with data. The Monday Note and my day job [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in newspapers, online publishing | Also tagged | Comments (47)

The NY Times: Un-Free At Last!

March 21, 2011 – 7:10 am

Tweet On March 28th, after much handwringing, the New York Times will finally deploy a paywall. NYT fans, your author included, rejoice: We see this as a necessary condition for the newspaper’s survival. Necessary…but not sufficient. A “small matter of implementation’’ remains an obstacle on the paper’s path to greatness in the digital era. A [...]

Edited by Jean-Louis Gassée | Posted in newspapers, online publishing | Also tagged | Comments (28)

Expanding Into New Territories

October 24, 2010 – 9:34 pm

TweetIn defining business strategies for modern medias such as online newspapers, the most difficult part is finding the right combination of revenue streams. Advertising, pay-per-view, flat fee… All are part of the new spectrum media companies now have to deal with. The gamut looks like this: As we can see, newspapers mostly consist of one [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in advertising, newspapers, online publishing | Comments (24)

The Numbers Behind the Paywall

January 24, 2010 – 6:21 pm

TweetFinally! The New York Times is coming out with its paid-for content strategy. A quick summary of the Gray Lady’s paywall plan: a monthly allotment of stories to be read  for free and, above that, a flat fee for full access. Subscribers to the print version (including those who only get the Sunday paper) will [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in advertising | Also tagged | Comments (11)