Times paywall reduces readership by 84%: report

New figures published by The Guardian suggest Times
readership has dropped 84% (compared to February) since introducing registration requirements
and a paywall on the paper’s website just three weeks ago.

Editors Weblog reports:

“The Guardian‘s calculations are based on data from Experian Hitwise (as was the 66% figure) that shows how many people have attempted to access the site and how many people register to reach the home page.  Taking into account figures provided by Dan Sabbagh, Beehive City blogger and former Times media correspondent, the Guardian concludes that the total number of daily visitors to the Times‘ site has fallen by about 84% since May.

“Sabbagh has “picked up” some information about the Times‘ sign-up figures: that 150,000 people registered for the Times and Sunday Times websites during the free registration period, and that 15,000 actually agreed to pay. “Official sources” told him that the registration figure was actually higher, but did not challenge the paying figure, or the fact that 12,500 people were paying for the Times’ separate iPad application.”