Choosing online payment scheme: All eyes on NY Times
Posted by Leah McBride Mensching on November 2, 2009 at 2:58 PM
The New York Times may soon begin to
charge for online content. "We're within weeks of a decision,"
Executive Editor Bill Keller said Saturday.
The newspaper's management expected to make a decision by late summer, but are still weighing the complicated issue. Although charging for some online content would bring in subscription revenues, that potential revenue could cut into the millions in advertising dollars, as online advertisers want to reach the largest amount of readers as possible, Clark Hoyt reported.
The newspaper's management expected to make a decision by late summer, but are still weighing the complicated issue. Although charging for some online content would bring in subscription revenues, that potential revenue could cut into the millions in advertising dollars, as online advertisers want to reach the largest amount of readers as possible, Clark Hoyt reported.
"It's a much tougher, more
complicated decision than it seems to all the armchair experts. There
is no clear consensus on the right way to go," Keller said,
according to The Times.
Payment options include charging for premium content, introducing subscription elements, micropayments or perhaps forming a consortium with other newspaper groups, Brand Republic reported today. "The difficulty in reaching a decision will likely have ramifications for the rest of the newspaper industry, which is looking to the New York Times as an indication for what it might try," the article stated.
Meanwhile, Long Island-based Newsday, owned by Cablevision, began charging US$5 per week for online content beyond public service basics. Not all staffers were in agreement with the move, and last week Saul Friedman, a columnist with the paper for more than 10 years, quit in protest of the paywall.
Payment options include charging for premium content, introducing subscription elements, micropayments or perhaps forming a consortium with other newspaper groups, Brand Republic reported today. "The difficulty in reaching a decision will likely have ramifications for the rest of the newspaper industry, which is looking to the New York Times as an indication for what it might try," the article stated.
Meanwhile, Long Island-based Newsday, owned by Cablevision, began charging US$5 per week for online content beyond public service basics. Not all staffers were in agreement with the move, and last week Saul Friedman, a columnist with the paper for more than 10 years, quit in protest of the paywall.
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