News, paywalls and iPads
A few weeks ago we reported on a UK national newspaper, The Times, and its move to a pay-for online model.
Data from two sources have come to light which examines this. Firstly, Experian’s Hitwise which reported on initial traffic as the paywall went up in June. And now a piece in Beehive City, which is written by the Times’ former media editor Dan Sabbagh.
Experian’s data:
This is encouraging. According to Hitwise the site has lost 66 per cent of its readers following the paywall. Putting this in context, The Times’ originally predicted a 90 per cent loss. Leading to the below tweet from Times writer Caitlin Moran.
*air punch* The Times only lost 66% of its online readership when the paywall went up! I’m genuinely amazed! http://bit.ly/9P6qE4
Caitlin Moran
caitlinmoran
So positive news? Not exactly. Especially as Hitwise will record people going to the front page only, which is free to view.
Beehive’s data
Beehive has stated 150,000 people registered when the site was free. However, just one in 10 of these have converted to a paid for account. And the site is still offering a 30 day trial for £1 (~$1.50).
The Times (and many others) had stated that there would be a better future in serving a small select audience of subscribing customers. But will 15,000 be enough?
On the plus side, Beehive City states that the number of people paying for The Times’s separate and more expensive (£9.99) iPad application is 12,500. Given how new this technology is and, relatively speaking, the low numbers of the device.
This is particularly encouraging given recent research from Yahoo, which reported that “94% [of early iPad adopters are] likely affluent with higher income and more wealth then the average U.S. Yahoo user,” making them a prime advertising target.
Reports suggest there are severe technical problems with the Times’ iPad app, causing it to crash, however, so we’ll have to wait and see if people renew after a month.
August 2, 2010 at 4:23 pm | Europe, Publication | No comment
New electronics editor at the IET
Paul Dempsey is to take over the role of electronics editor on the IET’s technology magazine, E&T.
Starting next week Paul takes over the role from Chris Edwards and will remain in Washington, USA, working remotely.
Paul, who has been a long term contributor for E&T, will report to former editor of the year Dickon Ross.
Chris will continue to freelance for the IET and will be general technology freelancer.
August 2, 2010 at 4:21 pm | Europe, People | No comment
Process & Control hits 30
PMN understands the next issue of UK trade journal Process & Control will mark 30 years of the publication.
The title, which is published by Data Team, is running a special edition to mark the occasion and will be printing an additional 5,000 copies for distribution.
Advertising slots are still available, and this will come with a 50 per cent discount in celebration of hitting 30.
June 22, 2010 at 7:42 am | Europe, Publication | No comment
National paper start charging for online
The Times, one of the UK’s leading daily newspapers, has announced it will start charging for content in June.
The new site is already on line and requires you register to read articles after your first click. Reactions on blogs and Twitter are mixed and summed up nicely by the following tweet.
My initial impression is i like the new times website, but i wouldn’t pay for it http://bit.ly/9xmgg8
lauraAjones
lauraAjones
We’ll have to wait and see if a pay model will work for national papers on the web. Having lost a fortune trying to develop a readership that advertisers didn’t pay enough to reach, the majority of the newspaper industry both in Europe and the US / Asia, will be keenly watching and hoping.
May 28, 2010 at 2:30 pm | Europe, Publication | No comment
UMR to Take Over Leading Embedded Systems Event
PMN has received an email to say United Media Resources, which organises events including Military Defence & Aerospace Electronics and Advanced Automotive Electronics will be running Embedded Masterclass from 2011.
United Media takes over from Energi Technical.
Energi held its 9th and last Embedded Masterclass show earlier this month in Cambridge and Reading. The show is billed as the UK’s leading show and conference for developers of microprocessor-based systems.
May 27, 2010 at 2:32 pm | Europe, Event | No comment
New French electronics magazine to launch May 25th
European Business Press and Thomas Industrial Media have joined forces to launch a new magazine for the French electronics market. This follows the consolidation of Electronique and Electroniques International into a single title, ElectroniqueS, earlier this year and the closure of EPN France. The ‘gap in the market’ is to be filled by Electronique Composants & Instrumentation, which will have an initial circulation of 13, 389 (10,070 in print and 3,510 digital). It will be published 6 times per year and Publitek Media News understands that it will be edited by Alain Dieul, previously editor of EPN France.
April 27, 2010 at 10:47 am | Europe, Publication | No comment
Elektroniknet revamps website
Weka Publishing’s website resource, Elektroniknet, has undergone a revamp.
The new look site, claimed to be the leading online resource in the German market, makes greater use of images (including the pictured Tata Nano) and has a less cluttered feel than its predecessor.
It is also making use of Twitter, albeit it doesn’t appear that the magazine or its writers are using Twitter to engage in conversation.
According to Weka, there were more than 11 million page impressions recorded during the past 12 months, we’ll have to wait and see if the new look site helps to increase this.
April 15, 2010 at 8:19 pm | Europe, Publication | No comment
European supplier database
André Rousselot, owner of EE Times Europe, has contacted Publitek Media News to announce the publishing group’s new suppliers directory, The Electronic Supplier (or TES for short).
The site is also publishing a monthly E-Zine that will be circulated to 30,000 subscribers throughout Europe.
The first E-Zine issue is now online and 994 companies across 133 categories are listed online. A basic listing is free, although the magazine is charging €500 per year to include a logo and €1000 per year to include a company profile.
April 15, 2010 at 7:57 pm | Europe, Publication | No comment
Radio Electronics revamp
Radio Electronics, an online magazine that delivers news and tutorials on, well, radio electronics, has announced a revamped site and Twitter feed.
The new look site is cleaner and separates the topics more intuitively than before. PMN understands the website’s traffic is around a quarter of a million page impressions per month and this is from approximately 120,000 visits.
April 14, 2010 at 10:20 am | Europe, Publication | No comment
EE Times and RBI partner for Embedded Live
It seems that Electronics Weekly Live and the UK Embedded Systems Conference have merged. The two events, which are run by RBI and the EE Times Group, respectively, will now become one exhibition taking place at Earls Court, London.
According to the press release, the event is now the definitive UK event for electronic design innovation and systems technology development.
To learn about exhibiting at the Embedded Live Exhibition and Conference, contact UBM’s Daljeet Bhamra. Or for information on sponsorship opportunities, contact UBM’s Andrew Porter.