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Fairfax – we’ve talked about ad-free, subs-based SMH and Age sites

Fairfax has discussed launching ad-free online versions of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, a senior member of staff revealed today.  

At the AIMIA future of digital advertising summit in Sydney, Fairfax Digital’s commercial boss Pippa Leary was asked about consumer resistance to intrusive advertising.

She said: “Could we create an ad-free SMH or Age site? It’s an interesting question that we tend to think about a lot.

“But I think that taking the advertising off and asking people to pay for it would probably appeal to only a small niche of people.”

She added that consumer resistance to ads tended to be when they were badly targeted or cluttered, rather than all advertising.

Fairfax has discussed launching ad-free online versions of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, a senior member of staff revealed this morning.

Speaking at the AIMIA future of digital advertising summit in Sydney, Fairfax Digital’s commercial boss Pippa Leary said: “Could we create an ad-free SMH or Age site? It’s an interesting question that we tend to think about a lot.

“But I think that taking the advertising off and asking people to pay for it would probably appeal to only a small niche of people.”

She added that consumer resistance to ads tended to be when they were badly targeted or cluttered, rather than all advertising.

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