• Paid Content.org, Monday, August 10, 2009 10:15 AM

Executives at Financial Times' FT.com are considering a pay-as-you-read model loosely based on Apple's iTunes to further increase the paper's digital revenues. The site could introduce some form of micropayment model within 12 months, as long as it's easy for readers to pay and at the right price, says FT.com managing director Rob Grimshaw.

FT.com is known for its hybrid part-free, part-paid content model -- the site allows registered readers to read up to 20 stories a month without paying. "It's incumbent on us to offer readers maximum flexibility," says Grimshaw. "There's nothing to say that sampling is incompatible with the pay approach -- the two things can work together."

Having about 1.4 million registered users and a partial paywall means FT.com advertisers can target the site's audience, and are willing to pay higher ad rates than on a free site. No doubt FT.com will be carefully watching the new stand-alone Sunday Times Web site, which is expected to launch at the end of November and be a test bed for Rupert Murdoch's paid content plans.

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