Financial Times promotes free registration and paid plans for article access

In short: The Financial Times is asking readers to register to read an article and is promoting trial and subscription plans.

What happened

The Financial Times (FT) published a page for an article titled “The future of consulting,” but the text of the article is not shown on the page without signing up.

Instead, the page invites readers to “Register now” to unlock the article for free. It lists benefits of registering, like reading free articles, receiving newsletters, and following topics.

The FT also promotes paid options. These include a “Trial” offer priced at $1 for four weeks, then $75 per month, plus a “Standard Digital” plan at $45 per month and an “FT Digital Edition” plan at $45 per three months. The page also suggests that some readers may already have access through a university or an organisation.

Why it matters

This is a common approach for news sites that rely on subscriptions, like a museum that lets you into the lobby for free but asks for a ticket to see certain exhibits. For readers, it means access may require sharing an email address, creating an account, or paying for ongoing access, depending on the offer and what content is being viewed.

Source: Financial Times