Will you pay to read Straits Times Interactive?
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I was disgusted when I received an email from ST saying that the STI will not be free anymore and to read the news on their website you have to pay a subscribtion fee of $36 for 6 months.
Will you pay for it? Or should we just boycott their website? -
Won't pay. I'll just read CNA or yahoo news.
I'm already paying for the daily delivered papers and they want me to pay for the online version, they can just forget it. -
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Dear Reader
We have received emails and phone calls from many of you on our subscription plan for The Straits Times Interactive (STI). We thank you all for giving us your feedback, which is important to us.
An offer for print edition subscribers
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One common complaint was that many of you are already subscribers to the print edition of The Straits Times and you feel we should not make you "pay twice" for two similar products. We have therefore decided to offer existing print subscribers a 50% discount off the STI subscription rates.
With this change, print subscribers who want access to STI will need to pay S$36 for a six-month subscription (or S$6 a month) instead of S$72; the 12-month subscription rate will cost S$60 (at S$5 a month) instead of S$120.
We hope that with these new rates, print subscribers will continue enjoying the paper in the mornings as well as our paid-access online offering.
The offer on group rates
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We have also received numerous enquiries from companies and institutions for group-access rates.
Groups that are already subscribing to multiple copies of the print edition will be eligible for special discounts. The discounted group rates for print-plus-online bundles will be advised later.
Group rates for online-only subscriptions (for non print-subscribers) are as follows:
* 10 to 19 users: S$1,080 a year (a 10% discount)
* 20 to 34 users: S$1,920 (20% discount)
* 35 to 49 users: S$2,940 (30% discount)
* 50 to 74 users: S$3,600 (40% discount)
* 75 to 99 users: S$4,500 (50% discount)
For groups of 100 or larger, please call Customer Service at 6388-3838 during office hours or email stics@sph.com.sg
Extended period to browse ST Interactive
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All registered readers will have from now till March 19 to browse the new, beefed-up version of STI before it is closed off to non-subscribers on March 20, instead of March 15 as originally planned.
If you decide to take up a subscription, you may sign up for it online from March 11. If you do so between March 11 and 19, you will be given free access till the end of March. Your subscription kicks in on April 1.
Free news still available at AsiaOne
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For those who don't want to sign up for online subscriptions, we'd like to reiterate that a selection of free news from across the SPH newspapers will still be available on our AsiaOne portal. We would like to welcome you to this site: www.asiaone.com
Yours sincerely,
The STI Team
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
Co. Regn. No. 198402868E. -
I dont see why STI need to be so desperate to ask for subscribtion. The news are basicially the same as what they publish on paper and how much does it cost to run a website? Singapore MP should raise this issue in the parliment. I think restricting information is bad for the singaporeans and the economy.
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Originally posted by Gazelle:Dear Reader
We have received emails and phone calls from many of you on our subscription plan for The Straits Times Interactive (STI). We thank you all for giving us your feedback, which is important to us.
An offer for print edition subscribers
----------------------------------------------
One common complaint was that many of you are already subscribers to the print edition of The Straits Times and you feel we should not make you "pay twice" for two similar products. We have therefore decided to offer existing print subscribers a 50% discount off the STI subscription rates.
With this change, print subscribers who want access to STI will need to pay S$36 for a six-month subscription (or S$6 a month) instead of S$72; the 12-month subscription rate will cost S$60 (at S$5 a month) instead of S$120.
We hope that with these new rates, print subscribers will continue enjoying the paper in the mornings as well as our paid-access online offering.
The offer on group rates
--------------------------------
We have also received numerous enquiries from companies and institutions for group-access rates.
Groups that are already subscribing to multiple copies of the print edition will be eligible for special discounts. The discounted group rates for print-plus-online bundles will be advised later.
Group rates for online-only subscriptions (for non print-subscribers) are as follows:
* 10 to 19 users: S$1,080 a year (a 10% discount)
* 20 to 34 users: S$1,920 (20% discount)
* 35 to 49 users: S$2,940 (30% discount)
* 50 to 74 users: S$3,600 (40% discount)
* 75 to 99 users: S$4,500 (50% discount)
For groups of 100 or larger, please call Customer Service at 6388-3838 during office hours or email stics@sph.com.sg
Extended period to browse ST Interactive
-----------------------------------------------------
All registered readers will have from now till March 19 to browse the new, beefed-up version of STI before it is closed off to non-subscribers on March 20, instead of March 15 as originally planned.
If you decide to take up a subscription, you may sign up for it online from March 11. If you do so between March 11 and 19, you will be given free access till the end of March. Your subscription kicks in on April 1.
Free news still available at AsiaOne
----------------------------------------------
For those who don't want to sign up for online subscriptions, we'd like to reiterate that a selection of free news from across the SPH newspapers will still be available on our AsiaOne portal. We would like to welcome you to this site: www.asiaone.com
Yours sincerely,
The STI Team
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
Co. Regn. No. 198402868E.
It's still paying twice. Worse than vampires. -
I dont see how this STI is going to make it. They might as well just shut it and send news letter to subscriber instead of putting out a teasing website where you can see but cannot read.
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Not logical , the print and online version are almost the same, anyone who does business other then a charity organisation would know its not viable for a company.
i request for a change in top management of straits times.. -
If I'm in Singapore when I can easily get a hard copy of the papers, nope, I won't pay.
But I might if I am overseas. -
Anyway even if you boy-cott their services, they would still profit since they already calculated the drop in subscriptions once they start charging for it...
There are quite a few free online news portals... Hope many of those loyal subscribers will start to realise that other people are getting the same quality without paying a single cent... -
Its always crazy to pay something you can't feel or touch.
I have always maintained my policy so .
Anyway i have noticed that Straits Times's news are often taken from AP/AFP or Reuters/CNN.
Contains too much propaganda, unhealthy as well .
I dare the newspaper journalist to feature what ive posted in this thread into Sunday Times Last page as well. -
Hope ST won't start to raise prices cos I'll switch to TODAY
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It'd be pretty dumb to suscribe to the online version, I rather read the print version, failing which radio, TV (after all we already pay for radio and tv licence right), taxi drivers etc are excellent sources of up to date news. International news can read reuters online, yahoo news etc. Incredible stupidity on the part of SPH, methinks.
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The thing I like reading news online is because I do not have to be distracted by ads and get inky fingers. However, I dont' see the point in paying when I can get the same news from another site free plus I'm buying the print version as well.
I mean what is the big deal of giving a discount. It's still double payment for essentially the same product. -
Restricting news and information is not good for the country and citizens living abroad. I think our government should step in and stop what STI is trying to do.
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Which do you think they will choose?Originally posted by Gazelle:Restricting news and information is not good for the country and citizens living abroad. I think our government should step in and stop what STI is trying to do.
Something with economical potential or free distribution of news?
Plus, the argument would be, there are so many free news sites everywhere
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What do you miss in the Straits Times? Even if overseas, I don't see any point in subscribing to the Straits Times Interactive.
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local news that other international newspapers don't cover?Originally posted by ejl:What do you miss in the Straits Times? Even if overseas, I don't see any point in subscribing to the Straits Times Interactive. -
SG yahoo newsOriginally posted by RSP:local news that other international newspapers don't cover?
CNA -
I think singapore government would love all singaporeans to read SPH news because their papers are highly regulated. I doubt there will be much economical potential for STI, unless they would buy over TODAY and shut it down.Originally posted by elindra:Which do you think they will choose?
Something with economical potential or free distribution of news?
Plus, the argument would be, there are so many free news sites everywhere -
Personally I find CNA news not very comprehensive leh and also lack pictures.Originally posted by elindra:SG yahoo news
CNA
Not sure about SG Yahoo., might just switch over to that if STI start charging. -
So far I find STI news on SG Yahoo. I don't look at the pictures so it doesn't matter to me. I agree CNA not very comprehensive though.Originally posted by Gazelle:Personally I find CNA news not very comprehensive leh and also lack pictures.
Not sure about SG Yahoo., might just switch over to that if STI start charging. -
dun bother...i WILL NOT PAY!
anyway...todayonline.com is up liao....
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I hope SPH is reading this.Originally posted by nightzip:dun bother...i WILL NOT PAY!
anyway...todayonline.com is up liao.... 
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With that kind of marketing strategy, it's no wonder Mediaworks went belly up.Originally posted by Gazelle:I hope SPH is reading this.