CNN will introduce a “metered” paywall early next month for online readers, part of a broader plan by chairman/CEO Mark Thompson to restructure the news giant into profitability.
The plan was first reported Thursday by the New York Times. A CNN spokesperson declined to comment.
The metered paywall will require frequent users to pay for access after clicking on a set number of articles. The model is common among major news outlets, including the New York Times and the New Yorker.
CNN first hinted at the plan in July, when it said it would be launching a digital subscription service as a part of a restructuring that included the layoffs of some 100 staffers. Details were not disclosed, but sources who spoke with the Times indicated CNN will start with a low-cost option.
Thompson, who took the chief role nearly a year ago, noted earlier this summer that the network would explore a paywall as part of a broader strategy to create monetizable content. Thompson has experience leading a successful digital subscription strategy from his stint at the New York Times.
The paper also reports that CNN brought on executives — including Alex MacCallum, who led digital products for the Times — to spearhead the paywall pivot.
The subscription model got a dry run two years ago when the network launched the CNN+ streaming service with exclusive content. The service was discontinued when Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s newly merged parent company, decided it was too costly.
The new subscription model will not involve extensive new programming, sources told the Times.
