The New York Times paywall is costing the newspaper $40-$50 million to design and construct

[The Straight Story]

That was quick: Four lines of code is all it takes for The New York Times’ paywall to come tumbling down

The New York Times paywall is costing the newspaper $40-$50 million to design and construct, Bloomberg has reported.

And it can be defeated through four lines of Javascript.

That fact is both the problem and the opportunity of a leaky paywall. There is no one consistent, workable price for online news content. For the vast majority of people who read a news site, the price they’re willing to pay is zero; for a few, it’s something more. The key question of the Times paywall — and of any paywall, really — is how to maximize the revenue generated from those two extremes and the various gradations in between.

The Times’ approach is to create a relatively high price point — $15 to $35 a month, depending on the package — for those willing to pay. For those who are very casual fly-by readers — those who read fewer than 20 articles a month — the site remains free, and the Times makes money from advertising. And for those in the middle — readers who lack the brand loyalty to want to pay, but nonetheless like to see Times stories pop up in their Twitter feed — the social media “leak” in the paywall will keep letting them in for ads.

http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/03/that-was-quick-four-lines-of-code-is-all-it-takes-for-the-new-york-times-paywall-to-come-tumbling-down-2/

[bluerum]

1. Absurd. They got taken. Don't they read the news?

[wtmusic]

2. Intentional, IMO.

Actually a clever marketing trick:

1) Draw would-be hackers to the site. "I can get the Times for free!"
2) They get them used to reading the paper.
3) They put in a real block, and some decide it's worth the measly $15 a month to keep reading.

[Vinnie From Indy]

3. Why do they think it will work better this time?

Also, why read the NYT when you can simply read the talking points from whatever Admin. is in power?

Sulzberegr is an idiot!