March 2002
ireland.com to charge for premium content

Ireland’s most popular content-driven website, ireland.com is to introduce a fee-based system for access to its premium content. The decision is part of a growing trend amongst leading content-driven websites all over the world to introduce subscription models for access to content and follows the success of the website’s subscription email service, which was launched in January 2002.

As the Web developed through the early 90s, content was generally free and websites endeavoured to fund their investment in new media via advertising revenues alone. It is now clear, however, that a business model dependent solely upon advertising revenue is not sustainable in today’s challenging market.

Initially launched as The Irish Times on the Web in 1994, The Irish Times was the first newspaper in Ireland or the UK, and among the first 30 in the world, to go online. As the Internet captured the public’s imagination in the late 90s the site was relaunched as ireland.com, and a range of products and services was developed to cater for the Irish and international markets. Over the last eight years, it has consistently been Ireland’s most popular content-driven website and one of the most successful online newspapers in Europe.

ireland.com’s business model is now based on advertising, email subscriptions, content syndication and mobile services.

ireland.com is not alone in charging for its content; numerous other news websites are charging for access to premium areas of their sites. These include the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph, Salon.com, the Wall St Journal, the Financial Times and the Irish News. ireland.com will, however, continue to provide a range of free content, including a some material each day from The Irish Times and its Breaking News service, microsites such as Property, Jobs, Explore Ireland, Ancestors, Motors, Fantasy Football and special feature sites covering major events like the World Cup and the General Election.

It has always been part of ireland.com’s strategy to build critical mass and encourage readership. The Irish Times/ireland.com’s brand of journalism has struck a chord with the Irish interest market both at home and abroad proving itself to be the best of its kind and remaining unique and unrivalled in the market. Over the years, it has built a monthly unique readership of over 1.5 million users.

The subscription charge, to be introduced in May, will apply to the premium news service, comprising The Irish Times, the Breaking News service, a searchable archive of all online newspaper articles and micro-sites including technology, sport, business and weather. Final pricing will be confirmed in the coming weeks but it will be in line with similar premium content charges in the international market. Subscriptions will be available on an annual, monthly or weekly basis to individuals and on an annual basis to corporate clients.

Since 1994, no other Irish media outlet has provided the quality range of information and content that ireland.com presents every day. As Ireland’s most trusted news source, it is devoted to providing users with up-to-the-minute, engaging and interactive coverage of news and events.