On March 28th the New York Times will start charging for access to its website with monthly subscriptions between $15 and $35. Although anyone will still be allowed access to 20 articles a month for free.
The question is will it work? If you’re like me then you’ll be hoping that it doesn’t. Like in the case of the London Times the industry will be watching closely to see if the model is successful. The worry for the average punter is that all the major papers might follow with similar models leaving us with no free option for our news. Worse still, what if Paywall models spread to other areas of the web, denying us the huge resources of free information which we are now so used too? Whether it works or not there’s no doubt it’s a massive gamble by the New York Times, currently one of the most visited websites in the world. In March 2009 the New York Times had 20 million unique visitors making it the most visited newspaper site in the world and more than twice as popular as the next best newspaper site.
The London Times traffic has collapsed since it introduced its charging model. It was a brave decision to be the first to introduce such a model but it also appears to have been a costly one. The Times traffic has disintegrated and its competitors have thrived. They now enjoy far bigger worldwide audiences. Websites such as the Guardian, Mail and Huffington Post will be rubbing their hands at the New York Times decision. These website saw large increases in traffic following the London Times decision to start charging and will likely see the same again.
Unlike the London Times model the New York version will still allow some free access. Visitors will still be able to access twenty articles a month for free. This should help to mitigate a catastrophic crash in traffic such as in the London Times case. Occasional casual users will still be able to access the site without worry. However will regulars be prepared to pay $180 to $425 a year when so many free alternatives exist? I very much doubt the majority will, particularly in this time of weak consumer confidence. Polls suggest about 90% of current users will only use their free 20 article a month allowance before leaving. Whatever happens, Frost Magazine readers need not worry, we will always be free.
