New York Times to add 'new products' for digital subscribers

The New York Times is to introduce a group of new digital products aimed at both "entry-level" and existing subscribers interested in paying a premium for exclusive content.

Speaking at the Digital Media Strategies conference today, Denise Warren, executive vice president, digital products and services at the New York Times outlined research findings and the first product, due to be launched "in the coming months".

She explained that the research highlighted a group of people "beyond the 760,000" current "paying digital subscribers", who, she said, "value our journalism and are willing to pay something for us".

The difference with this group is that they are perhaps a bit "more price-sensitive", she explained, and so may be interested in a lower-level subscription offering, as the New York Times has previously hinted at being in the pipeline.

One example from the new releases is NYT Now, which Warren described as a "mobile-first product" which will give subscribers "the perfect briefing, on stories up ahead that our editors have their eye on".

Linda Zebian, manager of corporate communications, told Journalism.co.uk over email that "NYT Now is the first of those products and will cost approximately $8 a month".

"Other entry level products in development focus on opinion and cooking," she added.

The $8 pricetag will be $7 lower than the current lowest-priced digital subscription package, which carries a monthly charge of $15, she said.

Zebian also added that products "above our current portfolio" in terms of cost will also be part of the mix.

This decision was again based on the research findings outlined by Warren, which she said also identified a "group of devoted Times readers wiling to pay even more, in exchange for exclusive access to some produce and services".

Warren told the conference the outlet's openness to "taking calculated risks" helped drive the original introduction of its metered paywall in 2011, and that the company is "taking the same approach as we move into the next stage of our digital subscription plan".

The new products will offer a "slice of content" from the New York Times, she added, describing the process as an "unbundle".

And the news outlet will "be measuring everything you can possibly imagine" to see how users respond, she said, by "looking very hard at the metrics as well as user feedback".

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