UK Newspapers ‘The Telegraph’ And ‘The Sun’ Are Going Behind Paywalls

UK newspapers The Telegraph and The Sun have announced plans to push their content behind a paywall. The news organizations had previously rolled out a paywall for international customers and on Thursday announced plans for a UK paywall rollout.

News International says The Sun paywall will go into affect later this year. The agency has not provided an exact date for its paywall roll out at this time.

Under The Telegraph’s paywall, customers will be able to read 20 articles per month at no charge. After 20 articles have been viewed, customers will be required to sign up for additional access. The company plans to offers several packages for subscription purposes. The smaller package will cost £2 ($3) and offer unlimited website and smartphone apps access. The Full Digital Pack for £10 ($15) per month will add access to The Telegraph’s tablet versions.

News Corp in the meantime will roll out a different plan for The Sun. The company’s Digital Pack offers smartphone and tablet apps access for £4 ($6) per week. Customers can also purchase smartphone and web access alongside physical newspaper delivery for £8 ($12) per month. The Sun’s biggest fans can also pay for the Ultimate Pack for £8 ($12) which adds tablet access to the classic pack.

The Sun is still honoring its original offer which provides a Google Nexus 7 alongside an 18-month subscription service.

Paywalls have arrived with mix reactions from readers. On the one hand, loyal customers are likely to sign up for access to paywalls. On the other hand, many publications have failed to generate the required revenue to keep paywalls in place. Newspapers have also been met with heavy competition from new media publications that push out stories from behind those paywalls.

Do you think The Sun and The Telegraph can successfully attract enough readers to their new paywall setups?

[Image via ShutterStock]