As regional publishers look for the key to success with local content, Victoria’s Surf Coast News reckons it’s onto a winner with low-cost crosswords and word games.

Based in the state’s surfie heaven of Torquay, the company launched a new website after receiving a government grant of $302,000 in 2019 and now has seven localised news sites.

Its latest venture, Times Puzzles claims to be “the online home for Victoria's toughest and most addictive crosswords and other word games”. Working with Pagemasters and micropayments start-up Spotpass, it offers access to its puzzles from 25 cents each via a new “megasite”. The company claims it is the first time in Australia, users have been offered access to premium content exclusively through micropayments. 

Spotpass currently powers donations on eight Australian news sites, including the Times News Group mastheads and satirical site The Shovel, and says it provides access to digital editions and back issues from 49 cents. Cofounder and chief executive Doug Howe says users receive a $5 credit “to start playing puzzles, accessing content and making donations” on signing up.

The start-up has been “growing rapidly as publishers look for new ways to generate revenue and readers grow weary of expensive news subscriptions that in many cases cost more each month than Netflix and Spotify combined”. 

Times News Group managing director Warick Brown says launching the new puzzles site with Spotpass makes the process fast and affordable.

“Our readers expect a level of quality from our journalism and content, and now we’re giving them a user experience and price point to match,” he says.

Spotpass was founded in 2020 by Howe and Garry Duursma, who have recently been joined by new board member former AAP chief executive Bruce Davidson, who is currently chief executive of Mediality. Former New York Times ANZ executive Adam Kershaw has been named as chief revenue officer.

Surfcoasttimes publisher Surf Coast News Australia Pty Ltd has been the recipient of almost $800,000 in government grants since the beginning of 2019, under Australia’s PING media programme ($230,882), through the ACMA to purchase video equipment and recruit a digital marketing/sales consultant ($132,592), to develop a new website ($302,830), and for two cadetships ($60,357 each).

Its Times News mastheads include the Surf Coast Times, Geelong Times, Ballarat Times News, Bellarine Times, Bendigo Times, Golden Plains Times, and Armstrong Creek Times.

Mediality – and its subsidiary Pagemasters – is owned by former AAP partners News Corp Australia, Nine Entertainment, West Australian Newspapers and Australian Community Media.