News Corp’s Dow Jones has confirmed speculation from earlier this week and announced that the Wall Street Journal will now charge for full access to its content via Blackberry, iPhone and iPod touch devices.
According to a press release, the WSJ applications will remain free to download for each device and continue to offer a mixture of free and subscription content.
The new access model will be introduced from October 24 and hopes to expand the paying audience for Dow Jones’ content by highlighting the specialist, time-sensitive nature of its news.
“Our new mobile subscription model will enable us to continue to invest in the world’s most essential news content and deliver it to our subscribers wherever and whenever they want it,” said Gordon McLeod, president of the Wall Street Journal digital network, in the release.
“This transition also reinforces the value of our content on mobile, just as we’ve done online for more than a decade.”
Full access to the site from these applications will cost $2 per week for a mobile-only subscription. A subscription to mobile and the WSJ in print or online will cost $1 a week.
Print and online subscribers will have free access to content via the smartphone apps.
Full access to the site’s mobile site will only be granted to WSJ.com subscribers, the release added.
Today UK website the Spectator announced it would introduced a range of subscription packages for its website with immediate effect.