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Ongo Aims to Charge $7 a Month for High-Quality News

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A new website called Ongo aims to charge users $7 a month for access to quality news stories, despite the content being largely available for free elsewhere. Backed by major publishers, including The New York Times Co. and The Washington Post Co., Ongo's founders believe that a large audience of heavy news consumers will pay for a clean, ad-free experience. The site, launched on Tuesday, pulls together stories from various publishers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today, and has a team of five editors selecting and curating the content.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ongo charges users $7 a month for access to quality news stories, despite the content being largely available for free elsewhere.
  • The site is backed by major publishers, including The New York Times Co. and The Washington Post Co., which have invested $4 million each.
  • Five editors are responsible for selecting and curating the content on Ongo, rather than relying solely on automated algorithms.
  • Ongo offers an ad-free experience, with no paid search links, banners, or video spots.
  • The site is part of a broader trend in the news industry to explore alternative revenue models, following the success of subscription-based services like The New York Times' online subscription service.
  • Ongo is not the only effort to charge for online news, with other initiatives, such as the Winston-Salem Journal's own digital platform, also exploring subscription models.

Statistics:

  • Ongo charges $7 a month for access to quality news stories.
  • The site has received $4 million investments from each of The New York Times Co. and The Washington Post Co.
  • The five editors responsible for selecting and curating content on Ongo.
  • Ongo has launched on Tuesday with a comprehensive digital news platform.
  • The ad-free experience on Ongo still generates revenue through its parent company.

Sources:

  • "Alex Kazim, Ongo Inc.'s chief executive."
  • "Jeffrey P. Green, the publisher of the Winston-Salem Journal."
  • "The New York Times Co."
  • "The Washington Post Co."
  • "USA Today"
  • "Media General"

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