In 2020, media subscriptions brought in about 631 billion rupees in revenue to India’s media and entertainment sector compared to the 596 billion rupees from advertising revenue. This shows a remarkable decline in growth rate in subscriptions revenues. The ad revenues are estimated to reach over 900 billion rupees in 2023. Monetization of the digital media has taken some time to be standardized and till date varies to accommodate different types of media and their respective target audiences.
The paywall solutions are an attempt to collect loyal subscribers/readers who, in exchange for quality content, provide a set amount on a set interval. These tools help publishers set paywall models that regulate the access to every article on their website depending on whichever paywall model they have chosen. The paywall tool would also help carry out easy and secure transactions on a regular basis so that subscription management is easy.
Publishers making use of paywalls are able to provide the readers a more premium experience on their website. Users are given access to some of the content to give them a feel of the website and then they can have unlimited access and a personalized experience through subscriptions. Online subscriptions have been made easy through paywall solutions. Publishers can adopt a hybrid paywall, a metered paywall or a soft paywall depending on the user behavior on their website.
Due to the nature of digital media when it started as an extension of print, it is habitual to expect authentic stories from the media time after time, it would be ignorant to dismiss the reality of journalism. As more publishers try subscriptions models there will be growth of quality and in-depth journalism. Better revenue would lead to better tools for analytics, reporting and dissemination as well.
Accesstype helps you set monetization models that are in line with your content strategy. It allows you to regulate your registered user base with ease and maintains a central record of all your subscriber information. You are able to set bundles and seasonal offers for your digital magazines and set paywalls for your news website with this tool. Most importantly, Accesstype allows you to have frictionless online transactions giving you the easy revenue you deserve and providing your readers the security they demand. Customizing your subscriber experience on your websites and apps has never been easier.
It is a SaaS solution that integrates seamlessly with your CMS to provide easy paywall support.
Key features :
Set a paywall that suits your needs, change them anytime
Security
Frictionless Payments - micropayments enabled
Create bundles
Have access to registry of your client bills and subscription plans
Design custom subscription plans
Benefits :
Accesstype is a tool that would benefit both legacy publishers or enterprises and also smaller businesses. It’s easy to manage and integrate into your current platform. It’s a well rounded platform that is user friendly which means you can navigate everything with simple clicks. There’s also tutorials available as well as 24/7 support. The entire payment and paywall can be managed through the tool, leaving you, the publisher, a stress-free subscription strategy.
Chargebee is a recurring subscription management tool which helps streamline revenue operations. It integrates easily and helps publishers automate payments and provides standard features like invoicing, accounting, email notifications and customer management. It can help you provide personalized experiences that get you the results you’re hoping for. You’re free to run experiments based on customers and subscriber behaviors.
Key features :
Helps personalize your subscription experience
Offers API access
SaaS
Mobile payments
Live Support is available
Cancellation experience is also offered to subscribers
Benefits :
This is a good fit for mid-size media companies, freelance, and other medium size models. The 24/7 live support can be really handy for those who’re just starting out with their subscription journey. Chargebee also offers a free trial for those who’d like to get an idea about what it would look like in action.
It is a tool that integrates easily to help monetize easily. It is a flexible solution that is native to the Wordpress platform. It helps promote content online in search and social media. It helps offer different paywall models to readers to better restrict content. It also integrates with email services as well.
Key Features:
Circulation management
Recurring billing
Subscription plan management
SaaS
Usage tracking
Benefits :
Leaky paywall is available for wordpress publishers as their subscription tool. It is best suited for smaller businesses, mid size publishers, freelancers, educators etc. It provides online support for the publishers.
Zephr comes through and helps set up access and authentication through single sign-ons. You can manage your subscriber experience and keep identity management under control while never risking security of both your website or your readers. Media publishers can experience a flexibile platform while getting maximum revenue through their subscriber base.
Key features :
Drive dynamic revenue
Access management
Personalized user experience
Corporate subscription management
Benefits :
This tool integrates with your platform and brings powerful analytics to help manage your user demands. Corporate subscriptions are made easier and scalable with Zephr. This is ideal for enterprise and other large media houses.
It helps publishers create personalized experience and allows target actions through a custom conversion experience as well. It can be useful to understand user data and thereby the user behavior. Interestingly, you can have multiple revenue streams with a tool like this - product, subscriptions, advertising etc which publishers can benefit from.
Key Features :
Integrated via JavaScript code
Simple set up - carry out processes with no IT intervention
Aids in complying with privacy and regulatory requirements (region-wise)
Helps manage access on all properties
Benefits :
A good fit for enterprise publishers as well as mid-size publishers. It helps manage paywalls, promotions, campaigns etc across your site. The most relevant feature is the ease the tool brings - create deals, referrals, pricing changes etc and have them reflect on your site with no help from IT whatsoever. A good tool to have for journalists-rich media houses.
With this tool publishers are able to set up paywalls that help produce the best results from the native content. It is a cloud-based paywall solution. It helps manage subscriptions easily and additionally the dashboard and CRM settings help publishers get insight to further expand their subscriber base.
Key features :
Configurable engagement options and CTAs
Audience segmentation
Multi-site login/subscription
Subscriber account and analytics
Benefits :
You get 24/7 support and are able to set up quick metered paywalls with Admiral. It follows a performance based pricing and has supported news media websites as well as mid-size and enterprise brands. It is also available as a Wordpress login for smaller businesses.
It is a content management platform that also provides publishers a space to create great subscription experiences for readers. Publishers can control it all from the backend, since it’s one with the CMS a lot of the features may overlap or seem one-with, which may suit some publishers. One can automate sign ups, messages, notifications etc.
Key features :
Plugin management is not required
You need to move your content over to their CMS
Different payment plans for publishers depending on their size
Benefits :
If you’re a smaller publisher then this could be a good option as you can get a package deal of a CMS as well as a subscription solution. They do work together so if you want to change things up in the future, it could get tricky. The platform does allow you to manage both content and subscription together which could help manage paywalls more intrinsically.
It is a subscription tool which helps journalists set up subscriptions easily without too many technical concerns. It is a subscription eCommerce platform where one can provide offers and vouchers with simple clicks and have an easy time while collecting revenue.
Key features:
No payment issues when migrating from a different payment provider
Loyalty programs are offered
Send vouchers with invoices
Login details for better experience
60 day free trial
Benefits:
Better suited for publishers with an eCommerce front. Good for magazine publishers and book publishers. The pricing and offers can be set up easily without having to be revisited every now and then. Sales and offers are also easy to manage. A more product centered content strategy would benefit from a tool such as this.
Market One is a subscription based tool that helps with reader acquisition, retention and then ultimately conversion. It keeps track of all payments, successful or otherwise and helps publishers have access to data which will enable retention of readers. The subscription services extend to entertainment and other lifestyle products one might be interested in promoting on their website. It helps create a shift in the way readers consume content and products.
Key features:
SaaS
Online support
Recurring donations
Customer portal
Benefits :
Subscription based businesses may benefit from a product like this. Although it does not offer an API which may cause integration concerns. It does provide subscription analytics and customer portal, which are all beneficial to brands.
A SaaS tool that helps integrate subscription billion, paywall management and authentication. It uses REST API which aids easy integration for a smoother workflow. There’s also support extended for publishers to help them through the process. Subscription DNA can help manage subscription on magazines, newspapers, and any media platform really with it’s flexible features such as one-time payments, billion frequencies, on-demand customer costs and more.
Key features:
Automated recurring billing
Subscription reporting
Targeted communication tools
Group support
Paywall and premium content
Benefits :
Being a SaaS tool, publishers can adopt this software and have it seamlessly integrate with their current platform. It’s flexible and allows micro-manage subscriptions on the website and multiple sites. Small to mid size publishers can benefit from such a product as it’s very scalable and one isn’t expected to shift one’s current workflow for this.
Paywall management can easily become a hill too high to climb for a journalist centric system however with the right tools, this can be made accessible. The goal of course is to find a tool that integrates with your pre-existing platform. The tools mentioned above have their own perks and boons - you need one to fit your business and overall content strategy - not just this year but for the years to come. This is why we recommend - Accesstype. It’s easy to integrate, it’s available as a Wordpress plugin and publishers across the country are benefitting from it as you read!
Accesstype was designed for those in the editorial room which means it’s easy to interact with. It helps you manage billing, user registry, user analytics and helps monetize across platforms with secure and frictionless payments.
