The New York Times announced on Wednesday that they would being charging "frequent readers" of its website, NYTimes.com, for access, starting in 2011. A move like this by the Times has been rumored for some time, but the site, until now, has been weighing various options.
The New York Times is not the only new website considering this sort of arrangement. Rupert Murdoch has publicly stated that he's considering blocking Google from indexing his sites, feeling that Google is getting benefits from that indexing on news into the Google News site, which News Corp. and sites it owns, such as the Wall Street Journal, are getting little benefit.
The move will take place in January of 2011, but the New York Times did not give details. It only specified that "frequent users" would have a set limit of articles that they could view in a month, after which they would be charged. They will not be charged per article, but will be asked to pay a flat fee for unlimited access. Subscribers to the newspaper’s print edition will receive unlimited access to the site.
As far as questions about "how much" they would charge, and what the limits would be, the New York Times was mum. The long delay between the announcement made today and implementation will be used to iron out technical details, and it will also obviously be used to assess what said charges and limits should be.
It's unclear how access from apps like the iPhone's New York Times app would be handled. It's possible, perhaps even likely, that the app would be changed as well.
The New York Times would be the first large generalized paper to charge for online access. Two specialized papers charge for such access already: The Wall Street Journal, which makes some articles subscribers-only, and The Financial Times, which follows a system similar to what the NYT is proposing: non-paying readers can see up to 10 articles a month.
The New York Times is ready for those who will be critical of the timespan involved before the new changes roll out. Janet L. Robinson, the company’s president and chief executive said, "There’s no prize for getting it quick. There’s more of a prize for getting it right."
The Times did add that the rates, and the limits, would not be carved in stone, but would be re-evaluated from time to time. They would modify the system based on actual use and reader demand.
The changes would likely impact a smaller percentage of folks than people may think. It is probable that only those regular readers, who go to the New York Times on a regular basis, would be affected. Most readers arrive on the New York Times from links from other sites, including the aforementioned Google News.
Despite this, many in the industry will be watching this development. It's something many sites have been considering, and huge gamble for the Times.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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