The Australian to turn on paywall on Monday
The Australian’s paywall begins on Monday, News Limited boss John Hartigan has told the company’s staff.
Hartigan said the move – which sees a freemium model with some content remaining free, and some behind a pay wall – “represents a major step in the creation of a sustainable model for quality journalism.”
In an interview with Mumbrella, The Australian’s editor Clive Mathieson said: “There are a lot of sceptics about it. If you ask any consumer are you prepared to pay for something you received for free, the first answer is going to be ‘no of course not’. We do know there are those attitudes out there, but we have information at The Australian written by our reporters that won’t be available elsewhere and that’s the key.”
Pricing starts from a weekly $2.95 for digital only access through to $7.95 a week for digital access and a six day subsctiption to the newspaper. There is a three month free trial running until mid December.
Interesting to see if it changes the way journalist’s are remunerated. Financial KPI’s set on page views and paid for subscriptions. I wonder what I’ll be reading in the next year. Bring on a wave of coverage and content compelling enough for me to pay to read or watch and, hopefully, encouraging the art back into captivating headlines. The current economic’s of literature, see you later masthead, Hello journalist, you celebrity you – give me something great to read and I’ll pay for it.
If I want to read press releases from the Liberals or the IPA I can go direct to their source at their websites and read then for free.
He hit it on the head with: “If you ask any consumer are you prepared to pay for something you received for free, the first answer is going to be ‘no of course not’.”
And I also think those costs sound pretty steep to me…
He rejects consumers reality and substitutes his own.
Good luck with that. Make sure your resume is up to date.
Why would anyone pay for paid comment?
If you get the print edition home delivered, why would you pay extra to see the same stuff on the Net? I don’t get it
As the failers point out, there are challenges to come from this decision.
But even The Guardian with its 40m uniques per month still lost £30m GBP last year. Newspapers rarely work on the CPM model, need to make a profit and most have come to realise that there is little value in the casual visitor.
But they will have to persuade people to pay for content and the two elephants in the room are the ABC and the BBC.
Although, perhaps the BBC will start charging non-UK IP visitors?
I have read this article this is really a useful for us to know more about the Australian business community, you have posted about that conference and it is really great for us.
For a paper whose web site wasn’t good value when it was free charging for it is a brave move. And as Hoin says why should people who pay for the print edition not get free access? There are enough carpetbaggers and chancers on the net without Murdoch joining them. Biting the hand that feeds you is one thing, but shagging it is too much.
If fairfax would set up a subscription service I would probably pay for it if it contained everything that was in the printed paper and supplements. Heck even a pdf emailed to me every day would get my money. As it is they give away most of it for free and I don’t know what I’m missing out on. I’m sure there are some people who get the Australian delivered who would cancel and go digital but if you’re not interested enough to buy the Australian now would you be likely to subscribe? The Australian doesn’t have enough unique content that personally interests me but it’s weekend reviews are really pretty good. Will be fascinating to see how it goes but I doubt we’ll get any figures out of them.
Steep price for poor content
If the rumors about The Daily’s paid-subs levels or The Times online audience figures are even in the ball park, then you would think this would have scared News off pushing ahead with the pay walls… Or at least adjusted their strategy. Maybe it’s working better than the rumors suggest? I would think a $30 sub for the 1st year is low enough to get a large base and convert a percentage back to paying for news over that time. If the other companies see News Ltd. making bank and holding audience while charging for subs, they’ll move to that strategy too – then the companies will all bring the price to a level that keeps the business viable.
I ‘spose i’ll just move along.
Awesome idea. Because I want to PAY to read their incessant NBN beatups.
This will be fascinating to watch. Who knows which way it will go.
Don’t think I will pay but maybe I will miss it?
Chances are there will need to be a big change downwards in their cost base regardless.
Oh well – I guess I will move onto other online papers that are FREE. I flatly refuse to pay for something that should be a public right. Free access to national & global events. Besides, the Murdochs literally run an evil empire built on deceit. It’s never enough is it Rupert. A stinking mega rich family that wants more while the rest of us struggle paying for the basics of daily life.
Ill be changing my bookmark from “theAu$tralian” to “theABC” and SBS websites to get my content from now on.
Have read The Australian for over twenty years and saw some pretty good quality journalism, and access to international partners (especially to fill out Monday edition).
However, in recent years The Australian has been aggressively editorialising and campaigning politically for some retro DLP social type agenda.
I am no bleeding heart liberal but more of a social libertarian and economic rationalist, and while I have taken free digital subscription, I will not pay, why?
Firstly there is plenty of news content online available for free locally and internationally e.g. ABC/Fairfax/Business Spectator and The Economist, Aljazeera etc.
But my main complaint that even if you subscribe, unless you agree or support The Australian’s sometimes socially conservative and/or partisan political editorial line, comments are never published.
This makes a mockery of free press which The Australian promotes and has too many “suggestive” articles and perpetual opinion polls on the same issues which media, political parties and advisors have deemed to be important……. while ignoring the wider world.