A little more fuel for the anti-premium fire … APN’s New Zealand Herald is dropping the premium subscription service started by nzherald.co.nz in late 2005. The site relaunched last December with a two-month free trial for premium content access and Monday announced it was breaking down the paywall to archives and columns for good, according to m-net. Premium fees paid since December 14, 2006 will be refunded completely.
One reason for the shift: Jeremy Rees, the multimedia editor responsible for the site, told m-net that online advertising has changed considerably since the service launched. That changing online ad market is pushing other media outlets towards opening access — CNN recently made the same decision about subscription video — but some — think TimesSelect — are still pursuing a blended subscription-ad strategy.
Bonus link: The latest rate card for APN Digital Sales.
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