NZZ.ch raises the payment barrier
Starting Monday, only ten articles per month—instead of the previous 20—will be available for free on NZZ.ch. The NZZ is thus gradually implementing its strategy of financing its journalistic content through online revenue.
When the Neue Zürcher Zeitung introduced the paywall for NZZ.ch in 2012, it was met with skepticism within the industry. Two years later, the realization is gaining ground that high-quality journalism must and can have a price, even in the digital realm. The high number of digital subscriptions, now 18,000, shows that NZZ customers are willing to pay for expertise, careful research and professional editing, according to the statement. Giving away digital content free of charge is neither economical nor fair to paying readers in the long run.
Against this backdrop, the NZZ has decided to raise the payment barrier further. As of today, non-subscribers can still read ten articles per month for free instead of the previous 20. "As before, we want to give interested people the opportunity to see what we have to offer on NZZ.ch and are therefore offering a limited number of articles to read free of charge," says Steven Neubauer, Head of Marketing and Products in the Zurich division of the NZZ Media Group.
With the increase in the payment barrier, a four-week digital test subscription is being launched that allows full use of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung's digital offerings at an attractive price of five francs per week. In addition, the registration process has been simplified and payment by credit card introduced.
"In times of news overload, the NZZ relies on high-quality journalism that classifies, analyzes and evaluates. That's why we are consistently investing in enhancing our quality and expanding our paid-for offerings. In doing so, we pay attention to a balanced relationship between revenues from advertising and the reader market in order to secure our journalistic independence in the long term," emphasizes Steven Neubauer.
