© Illustration by Aurélie Garnier
The Economist has spent the last few years developing products and offers that foster deeper, more human relationships with readers. Its latest launch, Play, provides a lower-priced audio and video subscription tier aimed at a growing audience across all age ranges who consume news in these formats but aren’t yet ready for a full-price subscription. Crucially, it serves as an accessible entry point to bring younger demographics into The Economist’s orbit before they transition to the full access tier, which also includes all written journalism.
We spoke with Nada Arnot, Co-Managing Director of The Economist, about Play’s launch and how it fits into the publication’s wider relationship-building strategy.
Key takeaways to copy & share:
> The Economist has launched a dedicated subscription tier for access to audio and video formats, priced lower than the core digital subscription to attract new audiences > The "Halo Effect": From early signals, the team has observed an uptick in core Premium sign-ups. Seeing a cheaper, format-specific option next to the full product acts as an anchor, nudging undecided visitors to pay a little extra for the full suite. > Net-New Audience: Conversions through Play have been driven almost entirely by brand-new readers rather than existing subscribers trading down. > Play is part of The Economist's wider strategic development (alongside podcasts, short-form video and "Insider") towards building deeper, more "human" relationships with audiences
Play, a new audio and video subscription tier
