Irish Times said to begin premium reading services next year – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Irish Times said to begin premium reading services next year




The-Irish-Times

A spokesman for the newspaper confirmed yesterday that it will probably begin a premium-based model for the content on its website from next year. The Irish Times previously attempted a similar move, so-called ‘paywall’, but later abandoned it.

Managing Director Liam Kavanagh stated that the Irish Times will ‘begin building content-led digital revenue, and paywall or subscription services will need to be part of that.’

He added that the most likely scenario is that the reader will be allowed to view a certain amount of content for free, and then be charged for extra content, or other special features.

The company behind the newspaper made a profit of €4.8m in 2013, up from a loss of nearly €800,000 the previous year.

Group turnover increased 3.6%, up to €84.4m, excluding the joint ventures like The Evening Echo and The Irish Examiner.

Revenue from circulation dropped by 5%, while print advertising revenue fell by 4.3%.

Meanwhile, TheLiberal.ie have no intention to ever charge for its content.

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