Post-paywall drop in market share for Sun+

New research has revealed a web market share drop for the Sun+ since July – losing more than a third of its internet visits in the first ten days following the introduction of a paywall.

According to Experian, the Sun+’s 1.81% July web market share dropped to 0.81% on 1 August (when the paywall was introduced), and between 1 August and 11 August experienced an overall fall of 36%.

During the same period, Mirror.co.uk saw a 26% lift in web market share.

However, despite the Sun+’s loss, Experian digital manager James Murray, speaking to the Press Gazette, said that the data was a positive result for the Sun as it has still retained the majority of its original market share since deciding to charge users for content.

“The fact that the Sun has only lost 36% market share is evidence that people are becoming more accustomed to the idea of paying for news content which they value,” Murray said.

“Like previous news sites before it, the Sun has taken a risk in launching a paywall. The gamble is to appeal to a smaller audience of people willing to pay for content, rather than a bigger audience looking for free content; but it’s a gamble which initially seems to have paid off.

“It will be interesting to see if this remains to be the case a few weeks down the line when the introductory subscription offer of £1 ends and whether this prompts other tabloid sites to take similar steps.”

This article was amended from the original to correct the 0.81% figure, which was originally reported as 0.83%.