Condé Nast to launch paywall across U.S. titles

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jan 24, 2019

Condé Nast plans to launch paywalls across all of its U.S. titles available online by the end of this year.

According to an email statement provided to FashionNetwork.com from Condé Nast's outgoing CEO and president Bob Sauerberg, the decision is the next phase of the strategy that began with the implementation of the New Yorker paywall, which launched in 2014. 

"Audiences at The New Yorker, Wired and Vanity Fair have proven that they are willing to pay for the quality content we create, and the performance of those paywalls has exceeded our expectations," Sauerberg explained. "Put another way, these paywalls have proven the ultimate measure of our audience engagement."

The Condé Nast CEO went on to write that the planned paywalls will be adjusted for each of the publishing company's U.S. titles based on consumer demand and engagement. 

"Some brands may have specific content that will be gated, and some will have a wider metered paywall," he wrote. "Every brand is distinct, and every brand’s paywall will be its own distinct product." 

The announcement comes as the publishing company appears to struggle with transitioning into the digital age, abruptly cutting select print editions of its publications, while experiencing multiple changes to its executive suite on top of Sauerberg's upcoming departure. 

Condé Nast's U.S. publications include Vogue, GQ, Them, Glamour and Condé Nast Traveler, among other titles.