Subscription Publishing

Amazon executives were “okay” with people being signed up for Amazon Prime membership without their knowledge, the FTC said in an amended lawsuit.

The news giant intends to monetize a portion of its 149 million web visitors via subscriptions under the direction of incoming CEO Mark Thompson.

New research highlights the extent to which some publishers might be relying on revenue from unengaged and inattentive portions of their subscriber bases.

Few publishers have an accurate read on what portion of their audiences might be bypassing their paywalls, let alone a nuanced understanding of the impact it could have on their businesses.

A new decree has entered into force in France requiring that businesses allow consumers to cancel subscriptions and contracts online in three clicks or fewer.

Consumers are frustrated by the subscription practices employed by many companies, and would support any changes that give them greater control.

When attempting to convince consumers to pay for news subscriptions, publishers should give consumers multiple reasons to do so, according to a new study.

A snapshot of 25 leading publishers’ subscription landing page approaches.

The Federal Trade Commission said Amazon used “dark patterns” to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions.

The average price offered to new subscribers dropped 43% between June 2022 and June 2023, according to Toolkits research.

More U.S. consumers are paying for news, but establishing long-term subscriber relationships remains challenging.

The publisher faces legal action for failing to present its subscription pricing in a bolded typeface.

The publisher’s chief growth and customer officer, Hannah Yang, provides insight into the tactics and approaches underpinning its subscription growth.

The rise of AI-generated content could help news publishers establish stronger relationships with audiences.

Helping news publishers build subscription and reader revenue could enable Google to maintain access to their content.

Publishers are developing their own artificial intelligence features in an effort to grow engagement with their audiences and add value for paying subscribers.

Google has unveiled a significant overhaul of its search that will bake AI-generated responses directly into search responses.

The publisher’s subscription business continues to prove more resilient than its advertising business as economic instability persists.

A growing number of publishers are tying billing cycles to 4-week (or 28-day) periods instead of calendar months.

Google has added new tools enabling web publishers to monetize their web audiences via subscriptions and contributions.

Legal experts expect easier subscription cancellation mechanisms will be necessary to comply with FTC requirements in the U.S.

Subscription models enable publishers to tie editorial output closely to revenue, prompting some staffers to question if their contributions are being rewarded fairly.

Navigating subscription laws in the U.S. is becoming more challenging as states attempt to regulate automatic renewals more closely.

The company said it is in conversations with publishers about how their content is used to inform responses given by its Bing artificial intelligence chatbot.

As new artificial intelligence chatbots and search functions launch, publishers are scrambling to understand if they’re poaching paywalled information.

Some publishers believe account misuse for their subscription products is being kept at acceptable levels, while others are simply turning a blind eye.

Publishers are stepping up efforts to turn audiences into registered user bases as they hunt for ways to maximize revenue and attempt to future-proof their businesses.

We asked subscription publishers what themes and challenges will shape the year ahead for content-based subscription businesses.

In a precarious economic climate, subscription publishers are focusing their attention firmly on revenue over subscriber growth.

A survey of 303 media executives unearthed a handful of subscription-related trends publishers expect to see in 2023.

Publishers’ approaches evolved and matured as economic conditions tightened.

With little room left for discounting, publishers attempted to entice new subscribers with extended promotional periods instead.

It’s been a rough few weeks for publishers whose businesses primarily rely on revenue from advertising and sponsorships, but subscription-first publishers say their revenues are holding up relatively well.

The total number of individuals in the U.S. paying for digital publications could be contracting.

29% of subscribers to digital publications plan to reduce the number of subscriptions they hold by the end of the year.

Publishers are increasingly questioning if they’re doing enough to protect subscriber-only content.

Lack of use, price increases and poor value for money top the list of reasons consumers cancel subscriptions to digital publications.

The news publisher is better aligning its revenue model with its current newsroom capabilities and output.

New owner Elon Musk said the company wants to partner with and pass revenue to publishers.

Three-quarters of consumers say they are satisfied with the value they get from digital publication subscriptions.

Consumers are increasingly looking for ways to access paywalled content without paying, or are simply avoiding it entirely.

Subscription price hikes are currently off the table as far as many publishers are concerned.

A small group of consumers accounts for an outsized portion of subscriptions to digital publications in the U.S., according to research by Toolkits and National Research Group.