Dutch newspapers plan joint 'kiosk' for digital content

Three of the Netherlands' biggest newspaper publishers are working together to create a digital "kiosk" – likened to Spotify – where readers can buy articles on-demand or as part of a monthly subscription. The system, scheduled to launch later this year, would run independently of the titles' own existing paywalls and allow readers to mix and match content from seven newspapers, De Volkskrant reported. The paper said the initiative is being worked on De Persgroep, NRC Media and FD Media. The only major missing group is De Telegraaf. Details about pricing and exactly how the scheme would work were not yet available. Deloitte analyst Marieke van der Donk, who has carried out research into consumers' attitude to paid-for digital content, told the paper that there was "absolutely a market for the paywall". She added: "The idea is that people can put together a newspaper themselves, from the offerings of all papers." Paid content specialist Piano Media has implemented similar national paywall schemes in Slovakia and most recently Slovenia, where the nine participating publishers reported revenues of €26,000 in the first month.