Is the New York Times considering re-building its paywall?

During his speech at Stony Brook University in New York last Thursday, New York Times Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. gave further credence to speculation that the publication will begin charging for its online content. "During this downturn we have renewed our analysis of how paid content can augment our core advertising business," Sulzberger said. "The trick, of course, is to garner incremental revenue from the user." However, he refused to give any further comment on if, when or how the NYT would implement any form of paid content system.

His statement comes following a memo from Steve Brill to the NYT advising it "how to get off the free-content treadmill", and Executive Editor Bill Keller revealing that "a lively, deadly serious discussion continues within the Times about ways to get consumers to pay for what we make." The New York Times has experimented with charging for their content before with Times Select, although the project came to an end in 2007. The issue is part of an industry-wide debate on how to monetise online content.

Source: Bloomberg