The Financial Gazette Goes Behind Paywall

Publications in Zimbabwe and abroad are trying a find ways to survive as ad revenues nose-dive.

The Financial Gazette, which recently unveiled a new version of their website, is the latest to try a paywall to make readers subscribe.

To coincide with the launch, The Financial Gazette has also redesigned FinancialGazette.co.zw and rolled out several new digital features, newsletters and event livestreams, to make its content easier to access and more useful for business professionals.

Attempts to introduce a paywall at a mainstream, popular news website like Fingaz will be a major challenge.

But, according to a source close to the development the Fingaz website has actually increased in page views since the introduction of the paywall two months ago.

A source said there were no current plans to introduce the dollar amount to read but added: “We will keep all options under consideration in order to achieve break-even.”

The real winners in the advertising attention economy (or war)? Data providers. And the study was done in the U.S. were better competition in mobile data has resulted in lower prices. The disparity between costs for ads and the revenue they bring is probably greater in Zimbabwe.

The Source tried to introduce a paywall but the wall was put down after a few months.