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<\/p>\nThe Guardian is bringing in compulsory registration for its heaviest Australian users as it seeks to grow engagement and revenue.<\/p>\n
The Guardian\u2019s chief supporter revenue officer Liz Wynn told Mumbrella the decision to make some users register and log in to use the free news site has been carefully considered, with the impact to advertising balanced against the benefit of direct reader connection.<\/p>\n
\u200a\u201dWe\u2019ve been trialing it across a few territories. So we started in Ireland. We then did some experimentation in New Zealand. We did a trial here in Australia, and actually this week we\u2019ve introduced it across our whole audience in Australia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The new rule applies to the top 0.5% of users, who are prompted to log in or register \u201cthree or four times\u201d before a strict requirement to register kicks in. Unregistered readers cannot continue reading.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201c\u200aWe\u2019ve seen an order of magnitude increase in registrations and sign in,\u201d Wynn said.<\/p>\n
\u200a\u201dIn a world where the media landscape is evolving so much, and platforms are changing and search is no longer a certainty \u2013 I mean it never was \u2013 we really want to have a direct connection with our most loyal readers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Guardian\u2019s heavy-user intercept<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that, [if] we\u2019ve got somebody registered that\u2019s a strong sort of lever for us to be able to continue to engage them, drive regularity of reading, and drive emotional engagement that [makes them] want to support us in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the move \u201cmakes obvious business sense\u201d and had been \u201ca very natural step.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wynn is responsible for around two thirds of all revenue at Guardian Media Group \u2013 reader contributors and subscriptions \u2013 which includes the group\u2019s global publications in Australia, US, Canada, and Europe as well as the UK home market.<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s records for the last financial year (2024\/25) clearly show digital reader revenue (up 22% year-on-year) fuelling overall growth (up 7% for the year), with print revenue and advertising more or less flat.<\/p>\n
The Guardian\u2019s operations run at a loss (last year around A$45m) which is made good by earnings from the gargantuan Scott Trust, a A$2.4 billion pot of money set up in 1936 by the then-owner of the Manchester Guardian, John Scott. The stated aim of the trust is \u201cto secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity\u201d.<\/p>\n
While Wynn is upbeat about the impact of compulsory login, she answers a question about increased roll-out cautiously.<\/p>\n
\u200a\u201dWe are not setting a path or sort of a goal around ramping that up. Particularly, what we\u2019re using is an algorithm that carefully balances page views and advertising revenue against the friction of having the registration prompt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s in good balance for us at the moment. We\u2019re getting very little disturbance to the page views and great upside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wynn, who moved to the Guardian from the UK\u2019s Sky TV in 2023, said the discovery that some readers wanted to contribute without receiving anything in return was a revelation.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiscovering this huge motivation amongst our readers to want to support us and to sustain our journalism through the contribution model was a real unlock moment for us.\u201d<\/p>\n