Subscription push targets frequent users in the US
01 October 2024 - 19:39
byPriyanka G
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The CNN logo in Detroit, Michigan, the US, July 30 2019. Picture: REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER
Bengaluru — CNN’s news website launched a paywall on Tuesday as it looks to generate digital revenue.
With US cable television viewership and revenue falling, news organisations including CNN are looking to cash in on digital media to offset the decline in TV, which had previously been a main revenue source.
“Starting today, we are asking users in the US to pay a small recurring fee for unlimited access to CNN.com’s world-class articles,” said Alex MacCallum, CNN executive vice-president of digital products and services.
The subscription push is in tandem with CNN CEO Mark Thompson’s plans to shift away from being a television-focused organisation to a multiplatform news company by bolstering its digital business.
CNN, owned by Warner Bros Discovery, will push for subscription only after users have read a certain number of free articles a month, MacCallum said.
Subscribers will have access to CNN’s articles, documentaries and archives. They will also have access to daily curated news and see fewer ads, the company said.
The paid subscription is in its preliminary form and it would expand over time to meet users' needs, CNN said.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
CNN rolls out digital paywall for first time
Subscription push targets frequent users in the US
Bengaluru — CNN’s news website launched a paywall on Tuesday as it looks to generate digital revenue.
With US cable television viewership and revenue falling, news organisations including CNN are looking to cash in on digital media to offset the decline in TV, which had previously been a main revenue source.
“Starting today, we are asking users in the US to pay a small recurring fee for unlimited access to CNN.com’s world-class articles,” said Alex MacCallum, CNN executive vice-president of digital products and services.
The subscription push is in tandem with CNN CEO Mark Thompson’s plans to shift away from being a television-focused organisation to a multiplatform news company by bolstering its digital business.
CNN, owned by Warner Bros Discovery, will push for subscription only after users have read a certain number of free articles a month, MacCallum said.
Subscribers will have access to CNN’s articles, documentaries and archives. They will also have access to daily curated news and see fewer ads, the company said.
The paid subscription is in its preliminary form and it would expand over time to meet users' needs, CNN said.
Reuters
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