TNR's New PayWall In Effect Tomorrow
In effect starting tomorrow, TNR launches its latest subscription product, TNR Society. It is part of a new circulation strategy of establishing a paywall to protect premium and long-form magazine content online.
As explained by a spokesperson: “Most content will remain free of charge (blogs, web columns, some feature articles, etc.). Magazine and long-form content (or select content determined by online editors to be ‘premium’) will be available to subscribers only.”
In other words, most magazine content will be for subscribers only.
“TNR Society will provide our most avid readers with more opportunities to engage with our editorial content across platforms with ‘insider access,'” Publisher Mike Rancilio said. Of the new subscriber-only content: “We are confident that our most committed audience fully appreciates the extraordinary resources we put into our high-quality reporting and analysis in print and online, and is ready and willing to support that investment.”
See the full release after the jump…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The New Republic Introduces New Subscription Product and Premium Content on TNR.com
Washington, DC – April 6, 2010- Tomorrow, The New Republic will introduce a new subscription product, TNR Society, enhancing the benefits of a paid subscription to the magazine and online publication. Among the benefits will be subscriber-only magazine content on TNR.com.
For $44.97, TNR Society offers home delivery, digital access, 95+ years of The New Republic’s archives, and other new perks, like insider newsletters, articles, and invitations to high-profile events. Home Delivery includes print and digital magazine subscriptions as well as online access for $39.97. For $29.97, readers can enjoy the web version of the magazine and online access.
Beginning April 7, subscribers will be prompted to register to read select premium content on TNR.com, while nonsubscribers will be asked to subscribe. Although this marks a strategic shift for TNR.com, most visitors probably wonÂ’t detect a significant difference: much of the site will remain unregulated, as many features, web columns, and blogs will remain open to all online users.
In the past year, the business operations of The New Republic have experienced something of a resurgence, as the magazine has ramped up its efforts online. An average of one million unique users visit its website each month, and traffic surged by 30% in just the first quarter of this year. The success of TNR.com has bolstered advertising across the board: total ad revenue increased by more than 150% in first quarter of 2010, with online advertising alone topping 3x growth over the first quarter 2009.
Editor Frank Foer says of the importance of premium content on TNR.com: “Our long-form journalism is the product of intensive reporting and extensive editing, an incredible investment of time and resources. When it appears in print, we put a price tag on it-and we’re committed to doing the same online.”
