As goes the New York Times, often goes the approach of journalism, so its long-expected announcement today that it will charge for full access in early 2011 is bound to have influence.
The Times isn't going to put a full firewall up. Rather, it will permit access to a certain number of articles free, after which there will be a flat fee for full access.
Today's announcement is really more of a conceptual confirmation. Many details of the plan are forthcoming, including how much access will be free, what will be charged for full access, and what will be included in that full access. Executives even suggest that access may shift at times.
One thing that is clear: A print subscriber is automatically given full access.
The Times sees the move as a bet on the future of digital distribution and suggests it's time to find a stronger revenue stream out of it.
It's a bold move - more precisely, an indication of a forthcoming bold move. However, I have a hard time seeing how it will substantially move the revenue needle. My math here: http://blog.newscred.com/?p=226
One thing I do like: the readers who do sign up will not only be more affluent, but the Times will have extremely detailed profile information. That should help them attract higher CPM rates, which may offset the loss of ad revenues due to traffic declines.
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