CNN launches a digital paywall, charging some users to read articles for the first time

CNN, one of the most popular news websites in the world, is starting to ask some of its visitors to pay $3.99 a month for access.

CNN, one of the most popular news websites in the world, is starting to ask some of its visitors to pay $3.99 a month for access. On Tuesday, the news organization is laying the first bricks in a so-called paywall that should, over time, help foot the bill for CNN’s journalism around the world. “Starting today, we are asking users in the United States to pay a small recurring fee for unlimited access to CNN.com’s world-class articles,” Alex MacCallum, CNN’s executive vice president of digital products and services, wrote in a memo outlining the plan. The average visitor to CNN’s website, who may only read a few articles a month, will not be prompted to pay at this time. “Only after users consume a certain number of free articles will they be prompted to subscribe,” MacCallum explained. “In addition to unlimited access to CNN.com’s articles, subscribers will receive benefits like exclusive election features, original documentaries, a curated daily selection of our most distinctive journalism, and fewer digital ads.” MacCallum and her boss Mark Thompson, the chairman and chief executive of CNN, are both veterans of The New York Times, which is widely envied in the news business for its success in converting online readers and gamers into paying subscribers. In a memo over the summer, Thompson said CNN would “create best-in-class, subscription-ready products that will provide need-to-know news, analysis and context in compelling new formats and experiences, starting with CNN.com’s first subscription product launching before the end of 2024.”