Press+: Publishers are charging more for digital content and offering less free

RR Donnelley’s Press+, which helps more than 400 publishers offer metered paywalls and manage digital subscriptions, says its clients are charging more for monthly subscriptions while offering fewer articles for free.

“What we’re seeing is a tide sweeping through the industry of publishers lowering their meters and moving to prices that reflect the true value of their content,” Press+ cofounder Gordon Crovitz said in a statement.

Data from the company’s publishers shows that the average price of a monthly subscription was $ 9.26 in January 2013 — up five percent from July 2012 and 40 percent from July 2011:

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In addition, Press+ says its clients are lowering their meters. On average, they offer 10 free articles per month, down from 11 last September and 13 at the beginning of 2012.

It’s worth noting that Press+ works with a lot of large newspapers. Pricing is likely to vary at smaller organizations and on blogs like Andrew Sullivan’s Dish (which runs its metered paywall through TinyPass), but it will be interesting to watch whether the trend of upward pricing and fewer free articles occurs across sites.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock / Voronin76 

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