The West Australian introduces digital subscriptions and paywall
Seven West Media’s The West Australian has introduced a digital subscription model for its platform thewest.com.au.
The publisher said this will include a ‘freemium’ model as well as the option to subscribe to exclusive content for $1 per day.
The West Australian has started its paywall push
Seven West Media’s WA CEO, Maryna Fewster, said the move will allow the publisher to produce deeper content, and understand what consumers want from the publication.
News did it first!
This west site doesn’t have much news, just teasers around the video content they re-purpose from their seven news content. Each clip has up to 30 seconds of ads before the content so this was the worse of both worlds strategy. I don’t know how they are going to suddenly offer more depth or quality if they haven’t managed it after all these years. They need a completely new platform. There are some simple things they can do to leverage sticky West Australian readers but there is no sign they even know what that might be.
As soon as they did this I unsubscribed – the web is huge and SO much free news why someone would pay $1- a day baffles me. See ya The West!
The internet highlights which publishers deliver product of value. The West is not one of those and survives purely on the fact of local ads. The paywall is its sign that ads are not enough. So it’s stuffed.
Rubbish journalism now comes at a cost.
Think or how many Copy/Pasters they can get with the paywall revenue!
Copy & paste News Ltd content for your paywall strategy. Sums up this place nicely. That complemented by the CEO saying they’re committed to having the best journalism after letting go of the entire political team. Nobody will pay for this and if they do, it will be cancelled inside the first 6 months. Desperate times at the swamp
A cry for help from the west. The regulators have created a monopoly mining/liberal party newsletter using News Ltd naggers bolstering local mining interests. It’s woeful and the regulators should be ashamed.
Who in their right mind would pay for that appalling journalism combined with a complete lack of basic English editing?!! What an embarrassment for our state.
‘The West’ has become the Australian version of the UK Daily Mail and Express – appalling ‘play-on-word’ headlines and ‘celebrity lifestyle’ articles. Inside Cover seems to be masquerading as an unpaid (?) vehicle for the ‘don’t panic’ series of retirement investment publications. I would never consider paying to subscrbe to news that might actually be worth reading in the daily hard copy of ‘The West’
I mostly read the local library’s copy of the publication & the Sunday Times is generally a repeat of the previous week’s news 🙁
They forget about those that rely on digital media to access news that are living below the poverty line. When you are disabled it is not always possible to get to a library or other place where you can read a newspaper free. The $7 minimum a week you have to pay put into context is more than the cost of a months supply of one necessary medication or a meal. Obviously if you do not have the money to waste to be able to see if you want to read the news then they think you do not need to know what is happening
Yes I agree, The West ain’t what she used to be, it really has become a propaganda sheet for Channel 7, I agree with Doug Rob and will not be subscribing, and pick up the West as and when I need it.
$365 a year for the appalling recycled dribble that comes out of the West. No chance I will be subscribing .
Really disappointed as was the best news app for the west and will not be paying a subscription fee!
Another tacky channel 7 magazine. No longer a news paper.
Why would anybody pay for News? This was why news agencies were government owned originally. To ensure the general public had access to worldly relevant information. That didn’t work out perfectly so they allowed privately owned media to balance against the state owned offerings. The original purpose is still an essential. Ensuring the general public has access to Worldly relevant information.
Paying for a paper was to cover the costs of distribution of the physical paper, not for the content.