Comments on: The Times Goes Subscription Pay Wall http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/2010/07/the-times-goes-subscription-pay-wall/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-times-goes-subscription-pay-wall New media tools to help entrepreneurs to succeed Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:18:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: admin http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/2010/07/the-times-goes-subscription-pay-wall/comment-page-1/#comment-109 admin Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:48:14 +0000 http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/?p=251#comment-109 Hi Peter - thanks - I agree that we can not compare the quality of the two publications - but it is interesting to note their very similar price points when it comes to subscriptions. Also, I would just highlight that The Times - and other newspapers - are emphasising their comment much more than ever before. Look at the The Times home page and the second most important button on the navigation is 'opinion'. Why? Well, precisely as you suggest - because opinion is unique - whereas news is now a commodity. So, the newspapers are shifting to become more like The Economist is more ways than one. Br Neil Hi Peter – thanks – I agree that we can not compare the quality of the two publications – but it is interesting to note their very similar price points when it comes to subscriptions.

Also, I would just highlight that The Times – and other newspapers – are emphasising their comment much more than ever before. Look at the The Times home page and the second most important button on the navigation is ‘opinion’. Why? Well, precisely as you suggest – because opinion is unique – whereas news is now a commodity.

So, the newspapers are shifting to become more like The Economist is more ways than one.

Br
Neil

]]> By: Peter http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/2010/07/the-times-goes-subscription-pay-wall/comment-page-1/#comment-108 Peter Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:59:29 +0000 http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/?p=251#comment-108 I disagree that the two can be so easily compared - putting to one side issues of quality and political slant, the nature of Economist articles is such that they are not replicated elsewhere. If you want to read an indepth article of the type found in the Economist, you have to pay for it - on the Economist or another indepth news magazine. With the Times, it is a newspaper. If I don't want to pay, I can read the same news in many other places. The question is whether people are willing to pay for that news online when they can get it free. I'm not going to as I have found the Times' quality to have fallen over the years. That said, Murdoch is no fool, so I will watch with interest whether enough people disagree with me to make his project pay.... I disagree that the two can be so easily compared – putting to one side issues of quality and political slant, the nature of Economist articles is such that they are not replicated elsewhere. If you want to read an indepth article of the type found in the Economist, you have to pay for it – on the Economist or another indepth news magazine.

With the Times, it is a newspaper. If I don’t want to pay, I can read the same news in many other places. The question is whether people are willing to pay for that news online when they can get it free. I’m not going to as I have found the Times’ quality to have fallen over the years. That said, Murdoch is no fool, so I will watch with interest whether enough people disagree with me to make his project pay….

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