What the NYT paywall success proves : 1. The new value is trust/credibility 2. News + that credibility/trust at a very, very high / mass level can make a paywall work.
I have ALWAYS said that. I also think a combination of that trusted media and other content and services also will work with a paywall (a difficult & costly assembly to keep updated/timely). I also think specific event and long form/deep/wide Storycubes also could work with individual Storycubes (think amusement ride comparisons) but the integrated retail on an organic and unobtrusive level makes them safer and not necessary. If a Storycube is able to be attractive enough to have a paywall with integrated retail the ROI could be …should be… something we have never seen. – Read on Path.