French journalist Frederic Filloux has suggested that print edition price increases at the Financial Times and New York Times are intended to drive readers behind online paywalls.
Last week the FT raised its Monday to Friday cover price from £2.20 to £2.50.
The New York Times has also increased its weekday cover price, from $2 to $2.50. Both titles are currently rapidly adding digital subscribers – with the FT boasting 250,000, and the NYT claiming 324,000.
Filloux, who manages the French ePresse consortium, writes on the blog Monday Note: “Every newspaper, magazine or website is working on a paywall of sorts and closely monitoring what everyone else is doing. In almost every news company, execs are morosely watching advertising projections and finding numbers that are not exactly encouraging…
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“The strongest players don’t just bow to the inevitable, they accelerate their transition to digital.”
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