On The Verge of a Paywall

Vox Media is on the hunt for ways to unlock new revenue streams.

As part of the effort, the Jim Bankoff-led digital media conglomerate — which houses widely recognizable brands such as New York magazine, Eater, Vox, SBNation, NowThis, Thrillist, and more — has started exploring the introduction of a pay wall on its popular technology website, The Verge, people familiar with the matter told me.

It’s unclear precisely what the pay wall will ultimately look like or when it will be put up. But I’m told that executives are looking at placing more than just standard articles behind it, meaning that subscribers would presumably get bonus features, in addition the outlet’s top-notch technology reporting. A morsel of the outlet’s existing content, such as Alex Heath’s “Command Line” newsletter, is already behind a pay wall. But most of The Verge’s content is available for free.

A spokesperson for Vox Media declined to comment.

The forthcoming pay wall, however, mirrors the broader trend occurring in digital media. Gone are the days when credible information was available on the web for free. Even CNN, the global news behemoth that has long given away its journalism online at no charge, will introduce the beginnings of a pay wall in early October.