The New York Times gave up revenue per reader on purpose.
In 2024 NYT bundle subscribers grew 44.2% while bundle ARPU fell 6.7%. Total digital-only ARPU still grew 2.6% to $9.42. Trade price for habit, then watch churn.
Transcript
The New York Times gave up something most publishers chase: more revenue from every subscriber.
In January 2022, the Times bought Wordle and kept it free. It also paid $550 million for The Athletic. The bet: a daily habit is harder to cancel than news.
In 2024, the Times' bundle and multiproduct subscribers grew 44.2%, while revenue per bundle subscriber fell 6.7%.
Yet total digital revenue per subscriber at the Times still grew 2.6%, to $9.42. By the end of 2025, the Times had roughly 12.78 million subscribers.
Lower price per reader can still raise the total, if the habit holds. The Times has never disclosed its churn, so the proof is incomplete. Track who stays before you celebrate who joins.
The records behind this video
Every figure in the video comes from this Decision Record, each with its sources.
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