On the back of concerns from the newspaper industry (lead by Rupert Murdoch), Google has announced plans to limit free access to subscription based content. The First Click Free Programme will allow publishers to limit the amount of free content a user can access. If the user tries to access more than 5 pages from a subscription site, they will be shown a sign up page.

The announcement is a pretty significant move for newspapers who are looking for new ways to generate revenue at a time when both offline sales and ad revenue are dropping. At present publishers have struggled with a business model that will allow consumers to access the news whenever and however they want. The First Click Free programme may be a step towards more publishers charging for premium content.

Source: BBC News