There has been a lot written lately about the death of the blog since Andrew Sullivan decided to retire from The Daily Dish, but tech blogger Ben Thompson says the one-man blog model is working better than it ever has…
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Google launches Contributor, a crowdfunding tool for publishers
Google is launching a new service for websites called Contributor, which allows users to sign up and pay anywhere from $1 to $3 a month to sites that they visit frequently. In return for contributing, they won't see any Google ads on those sites…
Read MoreTwitter’s “buy now” button could finally unlock micropayments for the media
Past experiments in micropayments on Twitter have flopped. Could the new "buy now" button be the answer struggling media companies and publishers have been longing for? Paul Armstrong looks at the potential rewards and challenges ahead.…
Read MoreThe New York Times has shuffled the executive deck chairs, but it’s still on a collision course
The departure of executive editor Jill Abramson has drawn a lot of attention, but the New York Times has a much larger challenge ahead of it, as the paper's own internal report details -- its culture is out of sync with reality…
Read MoreHow many ways can the New York Times find to repackage and sell what amounts to the same content?
The New York Times is offering two new subscription packages, one a stripped-down version that comes as an app and the other a "premier" offering. But it is still missing the one thing it needs most -- namely, a personal relationship with readers.…
Read MoreThe secret to having a successful paywall around your news is simple — it’s about community
The Dutch crowdfunded journalism site De Correspondent is already bringing in almost $2 million per year in subscription revenue, and part of its success is being driven by the relationship it is building between its writers and their readers…
Read MoreWhy the New York Times needs to think less about products and more about relationships
The New York Times is planning to roll out some micro-paywall products based around specific topic areas, but for some reason it refuses to consider the idea of a "membership" approach to readers -- and that's a mistake…
Read MoreMatter takes down paywall, plans to boost its output of longform journalism at Medium
Matter, the longform journalism startup that was crowdfunded and then acquired by Medium earlier this year, says it is making some changes to the service as it celebrates its one-year anniversary…
Read MoreAndrew Sullivan expands The Daily Dish with monthly subscription-only magazine called Deep Dish
Blogger Andrew Sullivan, whose site has crossed the $800,000 mark in reader funding, is launching a monthly subscription-only magazine that he says will be filled with longform essays, audio interviews and even poetry.…
Read MoreThe New York Times is running hard, but staying in the same place — and ads are a big part of the problem
The New York Times is seeing continued growth in subscription revenue thanks to its paywall, but at the same time its advertising revenue is still falling, both in print and online.…
Read MoreWhat if the price you had to pay to read a story dropped as more people clicked on it?
While everyone is trying to figure out a way to monetize online content via paywalls, John Battelle of Federated Media wonders whether a "group buying" approach would work better by giving readers an incentive to sign up.…
Read MoreNew York Times expands access to mobile content
The Times has new tweaks to its paywall -- including offering non-subscribers access to three articles across all sections on its apps.…
Read MoreNew York Times lifts paywall for video, plans ‘franchises’
The New York Times is no longer restricting non-subscribers' access to its video content. The move, which comes as the Times tightens other parts of its paywall, is part of the paper's plans to expand its brand in the video space.…
Read MoreThe UK moves to preserve its digital history, paywalled content (and some tweets) included
The U.K.'s legal deposit rules, which require publishers to submit copies of all publications to national and other major libraries, have been updated to cover everything from blogs to tweets.…
Read MoreVariety doubles down on digital — drops paywall in what it calls “end of an error”
New owner Jay Penske is shutting down Variety magazine's daily print edition and removing the paywall around the century-old tabloid's online content. But will these radical moves help the paper survive against more nimble rivals?…
Read MoreNew York Times Co will make $91 million from digital subs — analyst
A news report gave the New York Times some powerful validation for its online paywall model. But a closer look at the numbers show that digital subscriber dollars can only be one part of the Times' future.…
Read MoreWhy Rupert Murdoch’s bold bet on The Daily was doomed from the start
News Corp. has said it is finally shutting down The Daily, the iPad-only newspaper it launched in 2011. Although the media giant should be given some credit for experimenting with a new medium, there were obvious signs that The Daily was doomed from the start.…
Read MoreJournalism vs. commerce: When is the news important enough to drop a paywall?
Tthe New York Times and the Wall Street Journal lowered their paywalls in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, and a discussion about their motivation for doing so highlights the tension between the newspaper as a vehicle for public information and as a commercial entity.…
Read MoreThe New York Times: Running faster and faster to stay in the same place
Like the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland, the New York Times is having to run faster and faster to try to fill the gap left by declining advertising revenue, but even a rapidly growing subscription base doesn't seem to be accomplishing that.…
Read MoreNYT swings to a Q2 loss on $195M About.com charge; digital circ up 13%
The New York Times Co. used to rely on About/com for good news; now overhauling the info site is dragging down earnings. Meanwhile, reliance on digital revenue is increasing even as the company works to stem declines in digital advertising revenues.…
Read MoreChicago Tribune gives readers Economist, Forbes under new paywall plan
The Chicago Tribune will at last begin charging for its online content through an innovative scheme that will also give readers access to a premium package of third party content.…
Read MoreSlovakia’s news payment system going large in July
Piano Media, the joint web news payment system operating in Slovakia and Slovenia, is preparing to launch in a third, larger market this summer, after recently taking funding for globalisation.…
Read MoreBoston Globe knocks down paywall to jumpstart subscriptions
For the next 12 days, readers can get free access to BostonGlobe.com by entering their email address.…
Read MoreGoogle shutters One Pass, its paid content platform
Google has closed down One Pass, the paid content platform for publishers that it rolled out in February 2011 and revamped in February 2012.…
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