View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Publishers
  2. Digital Journalism
December 7, 2011updated 23 Aug 2022 7:22pm

Herald launches metered website paywall

By Dominic Ponsford

The website of Newsquest-owned Scottish titles the Herald and Sunday Herald today introduced an FT-style metered paywall model.

Relaunching its website, the Glasgow-based title is to offer readers up to 10 articles a month for free. Those who want to access more articles will be asked to pay £2.99 a month.

Herald and Times group digital director Mark Smith said: "We think that's tremendous value, value that will only be enhanced as we add sections and features to the site, bringing you more and more quality journalism by Scots and for Scots. Our ambition is simple: to provide the best and most comprehensive digital experience for anyone interested in what's happening in Scotland."

The metered-paywall model was adopted by the New York Times in March and appears to have beeen a success. In October it claimed to have reached 324,00 paying subscribers and reported a third quarter profit of $15.7m.

Last month the Financial Times reported that it had reached 250,000 paying digital subscribers.

In the first half this year www.heraldscotland.com attracted 1,022,724 unique browsers a month and 49,793 per day. This compares with print circulation for The Herald last month of 45,813 (down 13.3 per cent year on year) and of 28,990 for the Sunday Herald (down 31.5 per cent).

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network