WSJ exploring ad-free digital offering

The Wall Street Journal is exploring new ways to drum up revenue from readers, including an ad-free version of its digital platforms, the possibility of charging on a per-article basis and even charging extra for home delivery, reports Lucia Moses of Digiday.

Moses writes, “In the case of the ad-free version for digital platforms (smartphone and tablet apps and website), the Journal said in the survey that it was under exploration but didn’t say if or how much more it would cost. In the case of the per-article charge, the Journal said it was considering 79 cents an article. It also said it was considering charging for delivery of the print edition, but didn’t elaborate on what the cost would be. The Journal said it also was looking into a dedicated crosswords and puzzles app.

“Asked for comment, The Journal provided a statement, saying: ‘As a membership business, The Wall Street Journal is always looking to build on its knowledge to enhance and innovate the experience for members. We have a constant feedback loop with our members and this is just one example.’

“The Journal currently charges $32.99 a month for either print or all-access digital also, while the print-digital bundle costs $36.99 a month. The Journal has set a goal of reaching 3 million subscribers to all Dow Jones products (which includes the Journal as well as Barron’s, Financial News and other products) by the middle of this year. It’s now a little over 2 million, about equally split between print and digital.”

Read more here.