The nine newspapers owned by Cookson Hills Publishers in Oklahoma are the first in the country to launch a new innovative way for readers to access online content without a subscription.
Subly empowers readers to easily read what they want and get publishers and their journalists paid for their work.
The new cloud service is patent-pending technology that, once installed by participating media partners, allows readers who hit a paywall to purchase one article or pay for a day pass to read all the stories on a website. Subly allows media partners to earn more reader revenue by offering friction-free reading for the first time.
“People tell me all the time that they get so frustrated when a friend sends them a link to an article and they can’t read it,” said Jason Upton, founder and CEO of Subly Media. “They’re willing to buy it, but that needs to be quick, easy and low priced.”
Cookson Hills Publishers is a family-owned media company spanning five generations that is exclusively focused on local news. The newspapers that launched with Subly are the Atoka County Times, Eastern Times-Register, Eufaula Indian Journal, McIntosh County Democrat, Okmulgee Times, Sequoyah County Times, Vian Tenkiller News, Henryetta Free-Lance and Stigler News-Sentinel.
“We are very excited to offer this new way to support our newsrooms,” said Jeff Mayo, publisher and president of Cookson Hills Publishers and vice chair on the National Newspaper Association board of directors. “Not every reader wants a full subscription, but many still want access to an important local story.”
Upton said that Subly’s mission is about convenience and offering media companies another option for readers being turned away by an inflexible paywall. Unlocking articles is instant and affordable after setting up an account and prepaying for tokens. For publishers, Subly offers alternatives to cancellations from trial subscriptions. Subly is just an hour integration and supports popular paywall platforms. There are no installation or credit card fees. Subly pays publishers more than Apple or Google.
Upton worked at Microsoft for 23 years, where he focused on bringing tech solutions to consumers and enterprises, before creating Subly.
“I believe true journalism keeps our society strong, and great journalists need to get paid for their impactful work,” he said. “So, I started Subly to let people read on their terms, and to pay journalists for their great work.”
Experience Subly at this link, which provides access to all nine newspapers: https://cookson.news.
Learn more about Subly at https://go.subly.ink.
