The Economist Unbundles Print and Tablet Editions

With digital subscriptions on the rise, The Economist has decided to unbundle its print and tablet editions. Previously, print subscribers could access tablet-formatted content

With digital subscriptions on the rise, The Economist has decided to unbundle its print and tablet editions.Previously, print subscribers could access tablet-formatted content for one price. But the convenience of tablet reading and consumption is forcing more and more publishers to question the wisdom of “all access” subscription plans. Or more to the point, to question offering these all access plans at the same price as print subscriptions.The Economist now has print-only and digital-only subscription plans, both priced at $127 for US audiences (you gotta love how they’ve priced print and digital equally). But the publication is still offering a print+digital bundle — for $160.Michael Brunt, senior VP-head of circulation for the Americas and global head of marketing at Economist Digital, told Ad Age that since October, about a quarter of new subscribers are digital-only, another quarter are print-only, and half are choosing the bundle.Print subscribers still retain access to the website — it’s just the tablet-formatted content that’s been unbundled. Which supports my previous claims that the tablets provide a convenience that people will pay for.Brunt says the publication will eventually transition old subscribers to one of the new plans, but no definite plans as to when or how long the transition will take.

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