Irish Times Online goes Subscriber Only Again

12 euro a month from what I can gather for basic content, 16 if you want it in e-paper format.

I just cannot see it working.  It failed before (I assume), and a golden rule in e-commerce is that it is virtually impossible to get anyone to pay for something that you have previously given them for free.

The content is not sufficiently unique or worthy of subscription imo.  Especially if the main compeditor, the Independent, remains free online.  With more content, more daily updates and better delivery/layout.

You would imagine it would be better for the Times to be able to say to its advertisers, we have, say 100,000 online views rather than...1,000 paid up viewers.

Banking on the snob value of the Times but agree horse has bolted. This won't work, no matter how much of a typo riddled online tabloid the Indo has become.

Couldn't agree more re the Indo. It's sad.

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Maybe the so-called D4 snobs will keep them in clover. Very much doubt it. As everyone knows the days of the hard copy are coming to an end and there is no way todays young people will pay an on-line subscription for anything. They want it free and unless a publication can sell to its advertisers on the basis of its reader numbers there is no hope.

Its whats wrong with the world,they want everything for nothing.

Its like some racegoers,they want to get in for nothing,want free food,free race cards they don't realise someone has to pay.

You entirely miss the point (again).

Happy to pay for quality, unique content, i.e. The Economist, The New Yorker and Gay & Liberal Weekly.  Publications not meeting meet this criteria need to find alternative revenue models.

I wasn't having a go at you,I was just acknowledging that young people are now so used to getting newspapers free on line you will never get them to buy a newspaper.

I despise the politics of the Irish Times but buy a copy every day but we are dying out as will the once noble newspaper industry.