Nine has announced a new premium subscription licensing deal that will provide university students and campus staff with access to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
This marks the first time Nine has developed a direct subscription model for students and faculty, offering full access to premium digital content.
The University of Sydney is the first institution to adopt the initiative, launching during Welcome Fest on Wednesday, 19 February. Plans are in place to expand the offering to universities across Australia.
Bevan Shields, editor of the Herald, said: “The arrangement between The Sydney Morning Herald and the University of Sydney will make our award-winning journalism more available to an audience which may otherwise struggle to access it. In the process, we hope to help tackle one of the biggest challenges facing all publishers around the globe: how to encourage more young readers to engage with our content.”
Bevan Shields, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald
Through Campus Access, students and staff will receive complimentary subscriptions via their university portal, allowing them to use features such as the Good Food and news apps, puzzles, and today’s paper, along with coverage across news, politics, business, world events, food, travel, and culture.
Ashleigh Thomas, director of commercial growth for Nine Publishing, said: “We are excited to introduce Campus Access, a new institutional licence that provides university students and staff with seamless access to the trusted journalism found in our Publishing portfolio. Never before have we been able to offer this type of licence at scale and this marks a significant step in making quality journalism more accessible to the next generation.”
The launch will be supported by a marketing campaign and an on-campus activation during Welcome Fest, featuring Herald journalists and photographers, giveaways, and prizes. The initiative aims to enhance student engagement with digital news and current affairs.
University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott, said: “”We’re delighted to give our students and staff access to the Herald’s independent news coverage and their apps. We hope our community makes the most of this opportunity to access accurate and timely news and analysis, whatever their many and varied interests.”