• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 29, 2015

Time Inc., the world’s largest publisher of magazines -- printed and otherwise -- has officially unveiled its new “paid content” strategy, which will effectively establish a so-called “pay wall” for visitors to its magazine Web sites who aren’t also subscribers of the magazines. Time Inc. chief Joe Ripp said the strategy will begin with Entertainment Weekly’s EW.com, but will be rolled out to other Time Inc. magazine brands including Time, People, Money, Health and Real Simple later this summer.

The company said non-subscribing EW.com visitors will have “free access up to a defined reading limit and will then be presented with a variety of paid offers” to upsell them into other products.

The offers will include a monthly unlimited Web access pass, new fee-based apps, and an “all access” bundle with Web access, print and digital magazine subscription, newsletters and more.

Time Inc. execs characterized the paid-content strategy as an opportunity to learn the elasticity of paying and non-paying customers, noting that it will “provide the company with the opportunity to more effectively understand its online visitors, craft targeted messages for them and help address their needs through existing and new products across all brands.”