The Times implemented a paywall in July 2010 which led to a significant drop in visitors. In the first two weeks 150,000 people said they would pay but only 10-15% became subscribers. Visitor numbers fell by one third and have continued to drop. Cultural relevance, not a paywall, is key to attracting an audience and generating profits in the digital age. Allowing free access and finding new monetization methods can help publications maintain relevance.

2. On 2 July 2010 The Times raised
a paywall around all digital content.
For two weeks, access was free.
During this period, it’s reputed
150,000 people said they would pay.
Source: http://bit.ly/bCDTeD

3. On 15 July 2010 the free trial ended.
Access to content was set at £1 per day, or £2 per week.
To date, gures quoted online estimate
that only 10-15% of people have
become paid digital subscribers.
Source: http://bit.ly/bCDTeD

4. On 16 July, the Financial Times reported that
The Times had lost two-thirds of previous
visitors in the weeks since the paywall went up,
even though access had been free.

5. In July 2009, the Times recorded 2.462 million unique visitors.

6. In July 2009, the Times recorded 2.462 million unique visitors.
In July 2010, it received only 1.579 million.

7. In July 2009, the Times recorded 2.462 million unique visitors.
In July 2010, it received only 1.579 million.
In August this was down to 1.459 million.

8. This isn’t surprising: the Times is a
generalist publication in a
crowded marketplace where other
generalist publications, many with
arguably better content, allow users
free online access.

9. There is a well-known argument that a
generalist news publication must
stand out from the crowd with something
truly special if it is to attract
enough paying customers to survive.

10. This isn’t the magic bullet.

11. This isn’t the magic bullet.
Cultural relevance is.

12. People have always shared the news
that is relevant to them.

13. People have always shared the news
that is relevant to them.
Photo by hdptcar. Creative Commons

14. People have always shared the news
that is relevant to them.
Photos by hdptcar and pedrosimoes7. Creative Commons

15. Leaps in digital technology mean we
can share news with more people and from
just about anywhere.
The conversation around news can
be huge and amazing.

16. Leaps in digital technology mean we
can share news with more people and from
just about anywhere.
The conversation around news can
be huge and amazing.

17. Leaps in digital technology mean we
can share news with more people and from
just about anywhere.
The conversation around news can
be huge and amazing.

18. Leaps in digital technology mean we
can share news with more people and from
just about anywhere.
The conversation around news can
be huge and amazing.

19. Turn it up, and this technology facilitates
cultural relevance.

20. Turn it up, and this technology facilitates
cultural relevance.
Turn it o and it decimates tra c,
page views and pro tability.

21. RELEVANT, INTERESTING CONTENT
+ GROWING, ENGAGED AUDIENCE
+ CONVERSATION
= CULTURAL RELEVANCE

22. Cultural relevance drives page views and pro ts
By cutting itself out of the broader conversation,
The Times has become less relevant.

23. Cultural relevance drives page views and pro ts
By cutting itself out of the broader conversation,
The Times has become less relevant.
Its cultural value has depreciated.

24. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Arthur Sulzberger,
publisher of The New York Times,
said his goal was not to be the largest-circulation
paper in the country, but to be the “thought leader”.

25. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Arthur Sulzberger,
publisher of The New York Times,
said his goal was not to be the largest-circulation
paper in the country, but to be the “thought leader”.
Sulzberger wants The New York Times to be
the most relevant publication.

26. The intricacies of the relationship between
cultural relevance and pro tability
may not yet be fully understood, but The Times’ paywall
experiment proves the connection.
A publisher can start to draw a bottom line based
on units sold x cost per unit, but that line only
dips lower as the conversation dwindles away.

27. says the Guardian’s Emily Bell:
“The paywall may address the issue of newspaper
circulation decline, but it does not begin to tackle
the far greater challenge of telling e ective stories
and creating activities and audiences in a constantly
changing digital landscape.
To stimulate a market for news, you need
an engaged population.”

28. The challenge for publishers is to make
money
whilst being culturally relevant.
This could mean:
use-based charging - a new approach to ads
paid-for apps - paid-for premium content
content type-based charging

29. The challenge for publishers is to make
money
whilst being culturally relevant.
This could mean:
use-based charging - a new approach to ads
paid-for apps - paid-for premium content
content type-based charging
This de nitely doesn’t mean:
unshareable content - a rigid paywall

30. The Financial Times, a specialist publication
as opposed to the generalist The Times,
also has a paywall, but charges based on use:
the casual user doesn’t pay, while the heavy user does.

31. Allowing new users to access content without
hitting them with charges means the FT’s audience can grow.
So, too, can its cultural relevance.

32. Today’s technologies solve problems created by
past technologies and create problems that
future technologies will solve.

33. The race is on to solve the problem of
the future of news, and now we know that
cultural relevance must be central
to the solution.