I går, den 25. april, præsenterede Times Company (der blandt andet står bag The New York Times) et skuffende regnskab. Derfor står det klart, at firmaet skal kigge på flere indtjeningsmåder.
En af de ting, de barsler med er billigere abonnementer, som giver adgang til mindre indhold:
The company also disclosed more details about its growth strategy on Thursday. Mr. Thompson [the company’s president and chief executive] said that the company planned to provide varied subscription plans that allow readers to pay only for access to select major news stories or narrow content on politics or arts. Avid readers could buy a premium subscription that would include access to events at The Times. The company also plans to get more involved in brand extensions, like games and e-commerce, and grow its conference business.
Financial Times har også skrevet en artikel om overvejelserne:
The company is developing a series of paid products, available through a multi-tiered price plan. People can pay a lower price to access top stories only. Other lower price products will grant access to content about specific subjects, such as politics and technology. A more expensive tier, for “all digital access” and print subscribers, would provide extra offerings such as live events and family access.
Kort fortalt skal mange bække små gøre en stor å, i hvert fald digitalt.
Så er det nok kun et spørgsmål om tid, før vi ser, at medier herhjemme forsøger sig med lignende modeller. Politiken har jo valgt at lægge sig ind på den model, The New York Times oprindelige bruger (at du først skal betale, når du læser mere end X antal artikler på en måned), som altså ser ud til ikke at være nok for The New York Times.