UK: Evening Standard introduces paycard

Posted by Jean Yves Chainon on September 20, 2007 at 11:59 AM

The paid-for Evening Standard is trying to strike back at free newspapers by launching a payment card that readers can swipe to pick up their copy.

The card can be supplemented with money online. The goal is to make it easier for readers to pick up the Standard as they commute. The reasoning is that some of the Standard’s readers have fled the paper because freesheets are widely available and faster to pick up.

The concurrence of London’s main freesheets, Metro, the London Paper, and even London Lite (which is also owned by Associated Newspapers) have caused the Standard’s circulation to dip 11% year-on-year. It now averages 277,000 copies, compared to London Lite’s 400,000 plus and a near 500,000 copies for the London Paper.

Source: Media Guardian