'The New York Times' Announces Digital Access With In App Subscriptions

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The New York Times today announced that it is launching a package of digital subscriptions for access to its content, specifically revealing that it has agreed to Apple's in app subscription program that allows customers to subscribe via their iTunes Store account with Apple taking a 30% cut of revenue. The new subscription options launch on March 28th, with the one-click iTunes Store options for subscribing within iPhone and iPad apps coming available by June 30th.The subscription plan allows for free access to a set amount of content across digital platforms. When the monthly reading limit is reached, users who are not already home delivery subscribers will be asked to become digital subscribers.

Digital subscriptions will be available in the United States and globally on March 28, 2011. The Times is launching digital subscriptions in the Canadian market beginning today in order to fine-tune the customer experience prior to the global launch.

For non-home delivery subscribers, the basic package - NYTimes.com plus Smartphone App - will start at $15 every four weeks.Standard digital pricing is set at $15 per four-week period for full access to NYTimes.com and access through a smartphone app such as on the iPhone. Those seeking to pair NYTimes.com access with iPad app access will be charged $20 per four-week period, while those wishing to have complete access across NYTimes.com, iPhone and iPad will be charged $35 per four-week period. Introductory pricing specials will be available at the service's launch.

The New York Times will also offer individuals free access to up to 20 articles per month, and users directed to articles from search results, blog links, and social media will be able to access those articles in their entirety free of charge even if they've reached their monthly limit for free content. The "Top News" section of smartphone and tablet apps will remain free of charge at all times, and subscribers to the print edition of The New York Times will have free access to all digital content.

Article Link: 'The New York Times' Announces Digital Access With In App Subscriptions
 
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I wonder If emploies get this for free. I ask cause my dad works for the nyt and he gets the paper for free.
 
Unbelievable. Charging this much for information in this day and age? I'll have to find other sources of news.

Good luck, NYTimes. Hope you enjoy seeing your readership plummet.
 
No discount for using the app on both an iPhone and an iPad. Wow, that sucks. That discount on the 28th had better be good, as I'm not going to pay $450 a year as proposed with their current model. Maybe I can get an extended group of people interested in splitting the cost for one account.
 
Gosh. That's pretty expensive for the digital version.

I guess I'll continue to buy the local print version of my newspaper.
 
Whomever decided on the price point should be fired. No one willingly should have to pay more for digital content. I can get all my news elsewhere for free or much less than what they're charging. I really don't see how I'd be missing out if I skip the NYT going forward.
 
Unbelievable. Charging this much for information in this day and age? I'll have to find other sources of news.

Good luck, NYTimes. Hope you enjoy seeing your readership plummet.

It's not like their website isn't still up and running and they've had a paywall for years. They probably believe they will reach a greater market than they currently do and that will make up for any revenue hit, and they are probably right.
 
Wow that is allot of Money. I'll guess ill see if i can get by on the free version.

Maybe they will run promos all the time like they do for the paper.
I cant see paying more than $10-15 a month though.
 
$20 per month for all apps and website content plus the ability to read the news offline would have been reasonable.

$35 per month for glorified web content is unreasonable.
 
So it's between x20 and x35 times more expensive than "The Daily" access? Good luck with that, NYT. You will need it.
 
$5 a month would have been reasonable. I hope NYtimes reporters have their resumes up to date...
 
$455 per year? Wouldn't it be cheaper to just subscribe to the newsprint version?

The first 12 weeks of a full print subscription with home delivery are 50% off and cost $70.20. The rest of the year is $11.70 for each week.

So:

12 weeks = $70.20
40 weeks = $468.00
total = $538.20

So no, it's not cheaper. And the next year is at full price so the cost is $608.40.
 
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I'm just not seeing the benefit. :confused: I can get quality news elsewhere, faster and cheaper. It also seems I would be paying extra just for redundant technologies. I assume there is a benefit if I actually wanted to read about local NYC news. If there is something big it is being covered by others or put out through AP. Yes NYT is the most awarded (Pulitzer Prize) but quite honestly not recently for anything already being covered by the web or special interest groups. So, what is the benefit?
 
No thanks, I'll pass

For some there will be value here if they are religious NYT readers, but $180/yr for information that is free?? To each his/her own. I'll skip this one.
 
Support it through ads....No way in hell am I paying for a subscription at that rate. There are too many free sources of news out there for me to pay $260 a year (iPad + online only rate) for NYT.
 
This is a big deal: it applies to their regular website as well! Print alone is dying, so if they're to survive they need to charge for digital. Online ads might support some types of organizations, but not a global news organization. If it's a choice between NYTimes dying or paying for content: I'll pay for content. That said, the pricing seems absurdly high. They seem to be trying to force people to buy the hard-copy, but that seems to me to be old-school thinking.

Here's a link to the Editor's letter: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/opinion/l18times.html
 
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Wireless carriers must me helping in the pricing models.
I have no interest for this, if your listening NYT.
edit/add.
BBC/USA Today/Zine.. the list goes on. They all have world news, and free.
 
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