Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post Ditches Paywall after Acquired by Alibaba

South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most influential English newspaper in Hong Kong, has removed its paywall for good starting from 6 p.m. local time on April 5, 2016, after it had been implemented on its website for ten years.

The move came some four months after Chinese tech giant Alibaba acquired the 113-year-old publication and its associated media assets. The removal of the SCMP’s paywall goes against the global trend of newspapers charging customers for articles they read online. The announcement posted on SCMP website says the removal of paywall comes with Alibaba taking the plunge based on their experience in running Taobao, the world’s biggest e-commerce business.

“Our priority should be on how we should change to better adapt to the reading habits of our readers. This is what we need to do as the media industry transforms for the future,” said Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group.