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Experiences with a multi-channel paywall

What do you do when the print circulation of your newspaper drops off? At the Media Port session, “Monetising digital: Income from content: News products and paywalls,” Kaisa Aalto of Finland’s Helsingin Sanomat described one approach to remedying that not-uncommon ailment.

by WAN-IFRA Staff executivenews@wan-ifra.org | October 7, 2013

Helsingin Sanomat is the largest newspaper in the Nordic region. Its webpage has more than 1.7 million unique visitors every week. The paper’s print circulation, on the other hand, has been steadily decreasing. Something had to be done!

Aalto, Business Manager at Sanoma News, Helsingin Sanomat’s parent company, described her experiences with a multi-channel paywall.

The main reason for establishing the paywall was the promise shown by the new tablet platform. Readership is increasingly moving from desktop to mobile and tablets.
There are three different kind of monthly subscriptions:
– digital-only (9.90 Euros)
– full-digital: iPad, mobile, PDF, archive (14.90 Euros)
– print upgrade (3.50 Euros)

Online advertising improved by more than 10 percent in the last year. It might have grown more without the paywall, said Aalto. But the ads perform better and are pleasant to use.

Digital subscription revenues improved by more than 30%.

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