CNN will begin locking some stories behind a paywall

CNN will put some of its digital content behind a subscription paywall starting next month, The New York Times Reports. The experiment will test similar subscription models used by publications like The New Yorker, WiredAnd The Wall Street Journal, with CNN ostensibly hoping to generate additional revenue amid declines in cable television viewership.

A paid paywall feature is expected to launch sometime in early October, forcing more frequent CNN readers to pay for access after an unspecified number of free articles are exhausted. According to CNN, CNN is the most visited news website in the United States, receiving 441.4 million visits per month Press sheet. The price of this subscription model has not been disclosed, but it is initially said to be “a low-cost offering to measure customer demand.” The times.

CNN began testing a similar “sign up wall” feature earlier this year that blocked access to certain articles unless readers provided their email address. The publication's paywall plans were touted in July alongside a corporate restructuring that laid off around 100 employees. CNN Chairman Mark Thompson announced plans to build a digital subscription business that would generate “more than $1 billion in revenue” to future-proof the company.