Newspaper The Australian has launched its digital subscription service this week with a three month free trial offer for all readers, as owner News Corp continues its paid content digital strategy.
To co-incide with the launch, the paper will launch a redesigned website and a new ‘m-site’, a site specifically designed for mobile phones.
The Australian will use a ‘freemium’ subscription model, offering a mix of free and subscription-only content across its digital properties.
Since Rupert Murdoch announced News Corporation’s intentions to launch digital subscriptions in 2009, at least 70 newspapers around the world have begun charging for online journalism.
News Corporation publications The Wall Street Journal and The Times and The Sunday Times of London have highly successful digital subscription packages, with The Times and The Sunday Times now growing overall print and digital circulation.
The New York Times introduced digital subscriptions earlier this year and now has over 1.1 million digital subscribers.
Once the three month free trial period ends, readers will be able to choose from four subscription packages, covering print and digital
• ‘The Australian Digital Pass’ which gives access to The Australian’s entire website, iPad and Android apps, and m-site will cost $2.95 per week.
• ‘The Australian Digital Pass’ plus a six day print subscription will cost $7.95 a week.
• ‘The Australian Digital Pass’ plus The Weekend Australian print edition will cost$4.50 a week. –
• The Australian Digital Pass’ plus The Weekend Australian print edition plus any single weekday print edition will cost $5.20 a week.
Holders of ‘The Australian Digital Pass’ will have a single login which will work online, on tablet and on mobile.
‘The Australian Digital Pass’ will run for four week periods, automatically renewing each time it expires.
Existing six day a week print subscribers will receive a complimentary digital subscription.
Also today, News Limited launched a new website, futureofjournalism.com.au. The site contains news, information, interviews and thought pieces on digital subscriptions and the future of journalism