The New York Times has given an update on its paywall and overall digital subscription numbers with the number of digital subscription packages, e-readers and replica editions of paper, and the International Herald Tribune, hitting 390,000 at the end of the fourth quarter. That’s up 20%, or by almost 70,000, since the end of the third quarter of 2011.

Including the Boston Globe the New York Times had a total of 406,000 paid digital subscriptions. Read More »

We wrote last week that the Mail Online was continuing its expansion plans with a launch in India and today it has been confirmed by online measurement firm ComScore that the Daily Mail’s website has passed the New York Times to become the World’s biggest newspaper.

The Mail Online reached 45.3 million people in December compared to 44.8 million for the New York Times. However, in a put down almost worthy of Dorothy Parker the Times has said that the British tabloid was simply not in its class. Ouch. Read More »

I’ve written a number of blog posts about how, in my opinion, The Times is missing a trick by making its paywall impermeable to social media or put another way how it is anti-social media.

I’ve written how its anti-social media paywall model was rejected by other parts of News Corp and how the Times and The New York Times compare (social media Vs anti-social media).

However, it has emerged that the News International-owned Times maybe about to change that policy and allow a little social media light in and its readers to share some articles. Read More »

Barnes & Noble is offering a free version of its Nook e-reader with an annual subscription to the digital edition of The New York Times. It is also doing a similar deal on the Nook edition of People magazine.

Surprise news from the New York Times as chief executive officer Janet Robinson is to step down at the end of the month. The news took those inside the and outside the media group by surprise coming as it does at a crucial point in the history of the New York Times newspaper. Earlier this year the paper launched its paywall, which has performed much better than hoped.

The expectation is that whoever takes over from Robinson will be a new kind of CEO and one with a focus squarely on digital. What is clear for now, however is that there is no immediate successor in place. Read More »

A few weeks back a post went up about how twice as many get their news via Facebook, which underscored its position a place where increasingly a lot of people pick up and share news.

Facebook has just published a list of news that is being shared with its 50 most shared stories of 2011. It is a real mix from the serious, the top most shared story was about the the Quake and Tsunami in Japan, to the ridiculous. The third most story is headlined ‘No, your zodiac sign hasn’t changed’. I don’t even know where to start with that one. Read More »

A week after The New York Times announced figures to that shows its paywall is working its longtime digital chief Martin Nisenholtz has announced his retirement.

Nisenholtz, a former ad man who spent 16 years at the paper, launched its paywall, as well as insisting that social media was crucial to its success, and leaves the paper in a strong place, but with issues to deal with. Read More »

Google last night opened up its social network service Google+ to brands and businesses with the launch of Google+ Pages.

In so doing it finally offers a much needed alternative to Facebook where many brands, which many brands are increasingly making the focus of their social media campaigns.

Already as Marketing reported major UK brands including Burberry, MailOnline, O2, Cadbury and Mumsnet are among the first to launch pages on Google+. Read More »

Business Insider recently reported comments made by Buddy Media CEO, Mike Lazerow, whose prediction for 2012 is all about the quick and easy microblogging platform Tumblr.

One of the reasons he cited for that growth is that the Obama campaign has recently launched a very nice Tumblr blog as an additional to all of its other social media activity as part of the 2012 presidential campaign. Read More »

Yesterday, I blogged on how The New York Times paywall was working as its digital subscriber numbers grow.

Today the Financial Times has issued an update on how its paywall is going from strength to strength and has broken through a significant barrier. Read More »