[tannhaeuser]

I'm curious what exactly didn't work out. Maybe it was just the friction of signing up to read a single article? In that case, maybe what would've helped is sending the article anonymously via MMS and use carrier billing? Like 1990s ring tone downloads, though I'm not sure this model would even work today because Google's Stagefreight bug (or was it on purpose to close another channel not benefitting Google?) made telcos block MMSs. But then again, Blendle switching to a subscription model would indicate otherwise.

[Freak_NL]

How would MMS help unless you read Blendle on a smartphone? Hardly anybody uses MMS in the Netherlands in any case (Blendle is Dutch).

[tannhaeuser]

I was assuming most people read news on a smartphone. You do have those in NL, don't you ;) As to nobody using MMS, my point was that we've been "educated" (brainwashed) to use HTTP for everything, when MMS and carrier billing actually used to be a decent and widely accepted alternative for distributing digital media with a natural micropayment mechanism. Though Telcos are greedy af and take a hefty markup for carrier billing (I know since I've worked for them), the regulatory framework around Telcos and 3/4/5G in the EU at least takes care of monopolies.

[Freak_NL]

People read news on whichever device they're using at the moment. MMS would mean you're stuck with content on just your smartphone.

[Eridrus]

I signed up for Blendle, and even went there when I hit a paywall a few times. The problem is that news organizations value their content too highly, probably because they are very concerned about cannibalizing their subscription revenue, and it turns out I was never willing to shell out $0.50+ for an article.