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The Tribune Is Changing Its Digital Subscription Plan Next Year

By Kate Shepherd in News on Nov 5, 2015 9:18PM

Tribune Publishing, the parent company of the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, is changing the way it charges for online content next year.

The company will introduce a metered digital subscription model across all of its titles in 2016, according to Capital New York. The upcoming switch was announced by Tribune digital chief Denise Warren in a conference call regarding the company's third quarter financial results.

All of the company's newspapers have a "premium" digital pay model, which means that certain content is only available to subscribers. With a metered model, readers are able to access a limited number of articles for free before they hit a paywall which requires them to subscribe to read more—think of the New York Times.

Warren was instrumental in developing the New York Times' metered pay model—which has been more successful than the Tribune's current premium model. Readers are more likely to subscribe digitally with a metered model than a premium model, according to research she cited. The Tribune has seen some digital subscription growth with a total of 81,000 subscribers, up 37 percent over last year.

The new model is slated to be introduced in the second quarter of 2016.