The Times loses 66 percent traffic after raising pay wall

by Steven Mostyn - Jul 19 2010, 08:09

Charging for access to its Internet content appears to be working out better than expected for UK broadsheet The Times, despite seeing its online readership plummet by two thirds since raising a pay wall on July 2 of this year.

More pointedly, online traffic data published by Experian Hitwise shows that visits to the official Times website fell by around 66 percent of pre-registration levels, which the publication may take as favourable considering traffic had been expected to drop by as much as 90 percent.

However, while the damage is perhaps not so bad at first glance, it’s worth noting that The Times is presently offering an introductory access charge of just one pound via Times+, which will stretch for 30 days. After that offer expires, the publication’s online arm plans to charge visitors a pound per day for access or two pounds for an entire week. 

Rival print newspapers with accompanying online portals are likely watching intently from the sidelines, monitoring how the Internet audience reacts in the long-term while mulling over whether to follow suit or hold to the delivery of free content supported solely by advertising revenue.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who owns The Times via parent company News International., has already implemented a pay wall system around his other leading publication, the Wall Street Journal.

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