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November 9, 2016updated 23 Aug 2022 7:19pm

Dundee daily follows Aberdeen sister title and puts online content behind metered paywall

By Dominic Ponsford

The Dundee-based Courier newspaper has become the latest regional press title to place its content behind a metered paywall.

Readers will be asked to register if they want to read more than three articles per month, and then pay if they want to read more than ten.
Sister title the Press and Journal, in Aberdeen, adopted a similar paywall model in 2014 when it relaunched. It charges £10 per month for website access.

Both titles are part of the DC Thomson group.

The Jersey Evening Post put its website behind a metered paywall in 2015.

Most UK local newspaper titles provide their content for free online, with many adopting a “digital first” strategy. This means that in many cases reporters work primarily for online, with production journalists then creating the print edition from content which has already been published digitally.

The national Daily Telegraph last week announced it was scrapping its metered paywall in favour of a mixed model where some articles are made available for free, but readers must pay to read premium content.

Courier editor Richard Neville said: “The website has been designed to offer our readers instant access to news from their area, as and when they want it.

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“The paid-for platform will provide exclusive content as it enables our editorial team to give updates on news stories as they break and develop.

“The subscription paywall helps us, like many publishers, to diversify our revenue streams. We are placing value on our editorial content and we believe users will be prepared to pay for this.”

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