Executives at The New Republic have announced that starting tomorrow they will start charging for premium content on the magazine’s Web site. The new premium service will be called TNR Society.
According to the press release, much of what’s currently available on TNR.com will remain open to the non-paying public.
More from the release:
For $44.97, TNR Society offers home delivery, digital access, 95+ years of The New Republic’s archives,
and other new perks, like insider newsletters, articles, and invitations to high-profile events. Home
Delivery includes print and digital magazine subscriptions as well as online access for $39.97. For
$29.97, readers can enjoy the web version of the magazine and online access.Beginning April 7, subscribers will be prompted to register to read select premium content on TNR.com,
while nonsubscribers will be asked to subscribe. Although this marks a strategic shift for TNR.com, most
visitors probably won’t detect a significant difference: much of the site will remain unregulated, as many
features, web columns, and blogs will remain open to all online users.“TNR Society will provide our most avid readers with more opportunities to engage with our editorial
content across platforms with ‘insider access,’” Publisher Mike Rancilio said. Of the new subscriber-only
content: “we are confident that our most committed audience fully appreciates the extraordinary resources
we put into our high-quality reporting and analysis in print and online, and is ready and willing to support
that investment.”
In the past year, the business operations of The New Republic have experienced something of a
resurgence, as the magazine has ramped up its efforts online. An average of one million unique users visit
its website each month, and traffic surged by 30% in just the first quarter of this year. The success of
TNR.com has bolstered advertising across the board: total ad revenue increased by more than 150% in
first quarter of 2010, with online advertising alone topping 3x growth over the first quarter 2009.
