NY Times May Start Charging For Content
By Chris Weiss
Moving in a direction that more and more online media sources are liable to go, the New York Times is currently reassessing free access to its online content. It is considering new models for charging its core readers while allowing infrequent visitors to access some of general content for free.
The Times is weighing two different approaches. The first would track the number of visits a given user has had on the site, and would automatically require payment for access after a magic number. The second approach would require subscriptions for anyone looking to access certain content on the site. The latter is used by The Wall Street Journal. The company will need to weigh the pros and cons of subscription fees vs. possible advertising losses before coming to a decision, which is expected by month’s end.
So what do you think? Would you pay for NY Times articles? I used to be an avid reader of the online version of the paper, but only because it was free. I try to avoid subscription-based Wall Street Journal articles and other paid content. I’ll go elsewhere, so long as something free remains available. [via WSJ] [Photo: ReservasdeCoches.com]
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