Manchester Evening News has become the first Reach title to introduce premium subscriptions for its online title.
Described by Reach Director of Growth, David Bartlett as a “paid-for ad-lite experience” it will also offer subscribers exclusive content, offers and rewards.
“It has been a monumental team effort to get us to this point – colleagues from product, editorial, commercial, marketing, circulation, data, finance and legal all coming together to make this happen,” he said.
“A few months ago our CEO Piers North challenged us to get live before the end of the year, so naturally we are pleased and relieved in equal measure to get the project released to readers.”
Bartlett admitted that it was the “start of a different relationship with the online audience” but they’d continue to remain an ad-funded business, with subscriptions being a way to “diversify our revenues.”
Liverpool ECHO and WalesOnline are set to follow.
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Piers North, CEO of Reach said that much of the daily news would remain free, but that this move offered “our most loyal readers a more rewarding and seamless experience, while strengthening our revenue mix for the future.”
He added:
“In my seven months in the hot seat, no one I have spoken to, from tech platforms, politicians, journalists, agencies and advertisers disagrees of the importance of delivering sustainable, accountable journalism and content.
“In all the noise and the change, delighted we have taken another small step in securing the future of titles such as the Manchester Evening News. Obviously more to come, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
MEN Editor, Sarah Lester wrote a letter to readers to say:
“We’re proud of what we do, but Manchester is a city that never stands still, and neither should its news brand.
“This is a city that’s bold and fiercely proud. Manchester Evening News Premium is our next step in reflecting that spirit, offering journalism that’s deeper, more personal and even more connected to the place we all call home.”
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She added that this was even more critical due to changes in search:
“During the attack on the Manchester synagogue we had around 30 journalists providing strong and accurate on-the-ground reporting and context across all platforms, but the Google algorithm forced the Manchester Evening News onto the eighth page of the search results instead surfacing non-UK brands using agency copy. If you had searched for the Manchester synagogue attack it’s unlikely you would have found any of our reporting. A local council on the south coast sending a goodwill message outranked us.
“Fortunately many millions of readers came to us directly, as they always do when there are big events, as they know they will get a trusted account from us. But, the truth is, we need to raise our voice about the forces that control what content people see – and be loud about the need to value original reporting and storytelling.
“I am fortunate to have a talented team who care deeply about the communities they serve and have a passion for telling Greater Manchester’s stories. But journalism costs money and we need to tell audiences this more. As I have said to our readers you can either pay for it through the advertising that sits on our site – or by subscribing to an ad-lite, premium experience that invests directly in local storytelling.”
