Back in October 2009, Dow Jones debuted a premium business news site dubbed The Wall Street Journal Professional Edition in an attempt to get companies to pay up $588 a year for access to more personalized, business-related news and analysis.
This morning, the WSJ Pro Edition became available to consumers as well, at the exact same price point ($49 per month) although existing WSJ.com subscribers can upgrade for a discounted rate (+$25 per month).
What to expect: news coverage and analysis of some 2,000 WSJ journalists with more than 17,000 global business and news sources from Dow Jones Factiva and the network of Dow Jones Newswires. The company initially said that the site would be introduced to a broader audience in January 2010, so obviously there was quite some delay into getting it launched.
According to the press release, the premium news sites comes with personalization options, powerful search capability and a team of dedicated editors.
Here’s how Robert Thomson, editor-in-chief, Dow Jones & Company, and managing editor, The Wall Street Journal, pitches the site:
“The Wall Street Journal Professional Edition combines the full power of our unmatched global reporting with a unique database. Users will be able to access this service without being tethered to a clunky terminal.”
Do you think this offering is appealing enough for consumers?