Mediaite moves to subscription model

Dan Abrams’s media and politics website Mediaite is switching to a subscription model with all of its content moving behind a metered paywall, according to a company announcement.

Starting Thursday, users who access more than 10 stories a month will be prompted to buy a subscription of $4.99 per month or $44.99 annually. Initially, the site will offer the first month for free. 

Though Abrams said he no longer funds the organization himself, as he did when it launched in 2009, his plans to expand the site require more cash.

“In the coming weeks, you will see more writers and videos from different sides of the political spectrum and a range of new and distinct Mediaite coverage — from sports to entertainment,” Abrams wrote. “To do that effectively, we need to expand our revenue base.”

The site won’t be fully subscription-based, Abrams wrote, because “we want even the casual Mediaite reader to be able to see our biggest stories without a subscription.” 

Mediaite is one of several media outlets Abrams runs under the umbrella organization, the Abrams Media Network. Others include The Law & Crime Network and LawandCrime.com, TheMarySue.com and AmboTV.com. In addition, he is chief legal affairs analyst for ABC News, and host of SiriusXM radio show ” The Dan Abrams Show.”

Other digital outlets have struggled or experienced layoffs recently, especially during the pandemic.

On Tuesday, BuzzFeed announced layoffs for the HuffPost only three weeks after it closed the deal buying HuffPost from Verizon Media. Some 47 U.S. employees were laid off and BuzzFeed will also shutter HuffPost Canada later this month.

Vice News was hit hard by COVID-19 hard last May, and had to lay off 55 employees in the U.S. and 100 internationally.