Posts Tagged ‘Janine Gibson’

The Guardian expects its updated iPhone app to be approved this week, shifting from a one-time charge of £2.39 ($3.72) to a subscription model at £2.99 ($4.66) for six months or £3.99 ($6.21) for 12 months, as reported by paidContent, a sister company to the U.K. newspaper.

The figures above apply to users in the United Kingdom, as paidContent reported that The Guardian was disappointed by download figures in the United States and will offer a free app to be supported by ads placed via Apple iAds.

Speaking about the U.K. app, Guardian.co.uk editor Janine Gibson told paidContent:

We’ve been consistently amazed by returning usage and levels of engagement in-app. It hasn’t tailed off at all.

We were struck by the consensus of requests for new features, but also the number of people who said they would pay more, and even the level they would be prepared to pay in exchange for these features.

Our aim is to see if we can convert the vast majority of our users in to the new app. If we don’t, we’ll have to look at the pricing. But I’ll be surprised if we don’t.

paidContent reported on two new-media developments in the U.K. newspaper sector — the departure of Gurtej Sandhu from News International, where he headed the digital launch of The Times and The Sunday Times; and the introduction of a subscription-based iPhone app by paidContent parent The Guardian.

Sandhu is on “garden leave,” according to paidContent, and he is expected to join a new company in February. His departure follows those of The Sun iPad app creator David McAdam in October and the move to News Corp. headquarters in New York by Sun Online editor Pete Picton in September to work on the company’s national digital newspaper project.

As for The Guardian, paidContent reports that the newspaper will debut a new iPhone app in December with two subscription options: £2.99 ($4.86) for six months’ access, and £3.99 ($6.49) per year.

The app for the United States, however, will be ad-supported, according to paidContent. Guardian.co.uk editor Janine Gibson told MediaGuardian.co.uk: “The United States is a newer market for us and, obviously, we haven’t sold as many apps there as in the United Kingdom. We think we can do better and are interested in looking at an ad-funded, free app in the United States and using the model to increase reach.”

Now that the midterm elections are over, prepare for The Webby Debates, a five-part online video series from The Webby Awards focusing on Internet-industry issues including paywalls, privacy, and the value of social media.

The initial installment of The Webby Debates will debut Nov. 10 from The Hospital Club in London as part of Internet Week Europe, and it will feature Milo Yiannopoulos from The Telegraph moderating a discussion on the pros and cons of paywalls, with The Guardian editor Janine Gibson and Financial Times managing editor Robert Shrimsley.

Debate No. 2, to be filmed at CNN’s studios in New York and featured on CNNMoney.com in late November, will focus on whether social media is overrated. CNN Money’s Laurie Segall will moderate, and it will feature Wine Library TV’s Gary Vaynerchuk and TechCrunch columnist Paul Carr.

The Webby Debates are being sponsored by global marketing and design staffing company Aquent.

Read more