Telegraph introduces UK paywall
The Daily Telegraph has extended the paywall it introduced for international readers to the UK as it looks to better monetise its online audience.
The paywall follows a similar metered structure to that of the Financial Times and New York Times, allowing readers to view 20 articles per month for free before reaching a limit.
To go beyond that readers are invited to choose between two digital subscription packages: a “web pack”, which combines unlimited desktop access with smartphone apps for £1.99 a month, or the full “digital pack”, which includes the tablet editions for £9.99 per month.
Readers will be offered a one month free trial before they are asked to commit to a subscription. Existing print and digital subscribers will be offered unlimited website access for no extra cost.
Graham Horner, Telegraph Media Group marketing director, says: “This step marks the next stage in our subscription strategy. Our priority is always to deliver choice choice and value to our customers the continual evolution of our subscription packages ensures that we deliver on this promise.”
Telegraph.co.uk shed 11.5 per cent of its online readers month on month in February, down to 54 million, according to ABC multi-platform figures. The site’s total monthly readership was up 17.7 per cent year on year.
When News International’s The Times put up its paywall in 2010 Guardian calculations found its online readership to fall almost 90 per cent three weeks after launch.