Leading daily newspapers with paywalls in the U.S. 2014
The graph shows leading daily newspapers with paywalls in the United States from April to September 2014, by number of paid restricted access website accounts. In that time period, Los Angeles Times ranked fourth with nearly 60 thousand paid restricted access website accounts.
Digital publishing – additional information
The New York Times has been the most successful American daily when it comes to attracting readers willing to pay for its online content. The paywall, which was introduced in March 2011, allows users to read 20 articles a month for free. Once that limit has been reached, users are required to pay in order to read more articles. According to the New York Times Company’s own data, the number of paid subscribers to its digital-only products amounted to 990 thousand in the second quarter of 2015; a steady growth since its implementation. Circulation revenue now exceeds the advertising revenue. ).
The New York Times seems to belong to a successful minority. During a survey in late 2013, more publishers admitted that the introduction of the paywall led to a decrease of traffic on their website. This was the experience of a third of the respondents, whereas a quarter stated the paywall boosted the traffic. Most publishers allow their readers to view five or ten free articles a month, which makes the aforementioned New York Times model of 20 articles more than generous in comparison.
In general, the U.S. digital publishing industry is expected to thrive. Between the period 2014 to 2020, revenues are predicted to nearly double, generating approximately 10.3 billion U.S. dollars. Among three major types of digital publishing products – e-books, e-magazines and e-newspapers – it is the latter that will develop the most rapidly over the aforementioned period of time.
Digital publishing – additional information
The New York Times has been the most successful American daily when it comes to attracting readers willing to pay for its online content. The paywall, which was introduced in March 2011, allows users to read 20 articles a month for free. Once that limit has been reached, users are required to pay in order to read more articles. According to the New York Times Company’s own data, the number of paid subscribers to its digital-only products amounted to 990 thousand in the second quarter of 2015; a steady growth since its implementation. Circulation revenue now exceeds the advertising revenue. ).
The New York Times seems to belong to a successful minority. During a survey in late 2013, more publishers admitted that the introduction of the paywall led to a decrease of traffic on their website. This was the experience of a third of the respondents, whereas a quarter stated the paywall boosted the traffic. Most publishers allow their readers to view five or ten free articles a month, which makes the aforementioned New York Times model of 20 articles more than generous in comparison.
In general, the U.S. digital publishing industry is expected to thrive. Between the period 2014 to 2020, revenues are predicted to nearly double, generating approximately 10.3 billion U.S. dollars. Among three major types of digital publishing products – e-books, e-magazines and e-newspapers – it is the latter that will develop the most rapidly over the aforementioned period of time.
