May 11 2009
Internet Trends | Online Wall Street Journal Going Micro-Payments and Premium Subscriptions
Internet Trends
According to Robert Thomson, editor-in-chief of Dow Jones and managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, the company will launch what he’s calling a “sophisticated micro-payments service” which will launch sometime in the fall.
With advertising not able to take up the slack lost when going online, publications have been looking for ways to build up new business models with the current one losing viability at a rapid pace.
Thomson said the Wall Street Journal is working on a system where it is able to charge those who don’t visit the site regularly smaller fees; specifically targeting those who wouldn’t want to pay over $100 yearly for a subscription to WSJ.com.
Even so, Thomson did say that pricing for premium subscriptions and individual articles will be “rightfully high.”
CEO of News Corp., the parent company of Dow Jones, Rupert Murdoch, has been saying for some time online content can no longer be offered for free, as it’s not a sustainable business model.
Internet Trends
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