This article was published on April 1, 2012

Introducing The Next Web’s Pay-To-View. A paywall we think you’ll like.


Introducing The Next Web’s Pay-To-View. A paywall we think you’ll like.

Ever since The Next Web started taking the idea of digital publishing seriously, one of the things that we knew that we’d eventually run into was a question of how to monetize the content using something that was more effective than simple display advertising.

In the past year, we’ve seen exponential growth and a rise in our position on the Techmeme leaderboard to the point where a decision has to be made. So as of tomorrow, we’re going to introduce a way for TNW’s most loyal readers to be rewarded, while making sure that the casual, passing glancers stay happy too.

Beginning at 12:01 AM GMT, when you visit TNW you’ll see an option to join TNW Pay-to-View. For the first month, the subscription will cost you a mere $0.25, but then a tiered system will go into place in May:

  • 1 – 3 articles per day: $1 per month
  • 4-10 articles per day: $3 per month
  • Unlimited articles: $5 per month

For those choosing to subscribe to Pay-To-View, we’re going to make it very easy. You’ll pay for 1 year up front, and we’ll automatically renew your subscription for you. If you don’t want to renew, just give us 90 days written notice, mailed to The Next Web offices in Amsterdam, and we’ll be happy to arrange alternate options for you personally.

Pay-to-View will utilize TNW’s relationship with Paydro, an online ticket sales company that falls under the TNW incubator umbrella. Expect to see more from Paydro in the future, as we roll out new features for subscribers, which can all be purchased a-la-carte.

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For those who choose to not subscribe, there will still be content, but the method by which it appears is going to change. Pay-to-View subscribers will see all articles as soon as they are published. Casual visitors will have a 90 minute wait period before they’ll be able to view an article, and it will only be visible until it reaches 300 social shares, as measured by our TNW Social Count plugin. Once it reaches that 300 mark, it will be visible only to subscribers again.

We really feel that this is the next generation of digital publishing, and we’re eager to hear your feedback. Pay-to-View subscribers will also get some other benefits, which we hope you’ll enjoy:

  • Better Ads
  • Lifetime TNW account username and password
  • A ticket discount for TNW Conference equal to 1 month’s subscription
  • A personal, signed thank-you from TNW’s CEO Zee M. Kane

As you can see, the benefits to subscribing to TNW are pretty huge. On top of those listed above, bear in mind that you’ll see TNW’s breaking news as it happens.

We’re pretty excited about what the future holds in digital publishing and you should be too. So keep your eyes open for the full-screen popover on the site starting at midnight. Who’s going to be the first Pay-to-View subscriber?

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