EMAP’s recent announcement that all the 19 magazines in its Inform business division, including Drapers, Nursing Times and Construction News, are to stop providing free access to content has been enabled by a software solution from Abacus. Building a paywall which will enable EMAP to start charging for access to its magazine websites (within an overall subscription package) has been provided by Abacus as part of its Webvision digital publishing solution. The first paywall-based title, MEED, which provides business intelligence relating to the Middle East, launched in September and ten more titles began their roll out on 13 November, starting with the successful launch of Retail Week.
“We’ve had a free-to-air approach with our (websites) in the last 12 months and our view is that B2B success is based on distinctiveness – and a highly targeted audience, they will pay for that content,” Gilbertson told paidContent:UK. “So we’re moving all our sites to a subscription-based model.”
David Gilbertson, CEO talking to paidContent:UK (1 November, 2009)
EMAP’s view is that its readers will be willing to pay for quality content and value-added services which are highly targeted towards their particular industry. The Webvision-based solution, which integrates tightly with CDS Global for managing print circulation of the respective magazines, allows EMAP to deliver its content via web, email, data services, print and mobile apps, as part of a single subscription.
