When Canada's Meta News Ban wiped out nearly a quarter of Le Devoir's web traffic overnight, the independent French-language media faced an existential threat. Rather than retreat, Le Devoir partnered with Piano to deploy its ARI-powered dynamic paywall – a solution that could simultaneously optimize both subscription and advertising revenue. The testing results were nothing short of transformative: subscription volume soared by 84%, subscription revenue climbed 82%, and advertising revenue grew by 32%, turning a moment of crisis into a launchpad for sustainable growth.

Key Test Results

In July 2023, the Meta Canadian News Ban fundamentally disrupted the digital landscape for every news publisher in Canada – and Le Devoir was hit especially hard. Before the ban, 24% of Le Devoir's traffic came from social media; afterward, that number plummeted to just 3%, effectively eliminating nearly one-quarter of their total audience overnight.

Despite the dramatic traffic loss, Le Devoir's business objectives remained unchanged; they still needed to hit the same subscription numbers and revenue targets. The challenge was twofold:

Maximizing conversion on reduced traffic — With far fewer visitors reaching the site, every user interaction needed to be optimized. Le Devoir had to optimize the conversion of existing website traffic into paying subscribers.
Simultaneously growing advertising revenue — Subscriptions alone couldn't close the revenue gap. Le Devoir needed to increase ad revenue from the same diminished audience pool without cannibalizing subscription potential.

As Marianne Gélinas, Director of Subscription Strategy, Marketing and Data at Le Devoir, explained:

The Challenge

In July 2023, the Meta Canadian News Ban fundamentally disrupted the digital landscape for every news publisher in Canada – and Le Devoir was hit especially hard. Before the ban, 24% of Le Devoir's traffic came from social media; afterward, that number plummeted to just 3%, effectively eliminating nearly one-quarter of their total audience overnight.

Despite the dramatic traffic loss, Le Devoir's business objectives remained unchanged; they still needed to hit the same subscription numbers and revenue targets. The challenge was twofold:

Maximizing conversion on reduced traffic — With far fewer visitors reaching the site, every user interaction needed to be optimized. Le Devoir had to optimize the conversion of existing website traffic into paying subscribers.
Simultaneously growing advertising revenue — Subscriptions alone couldn't close the revenue gap. Le Devoir needed to increase ad revenue from the same diminished audience pool without cannibalizing subscription potential.

As Marianne Gélinas, Director of Subscription Strategy, Marketing and Data at Le Devoir, explained:

The Challenge

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Our traffic share declined, but our subscription and revenue targets didn’t. So we focused on one priority: extracting maximum value from every visit. Converting our audience into subscribers was a key goal, but not all readers are likely to convert. So we also needed to capture additional value from that lower-intent segment."

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Marianne Gélinas, Director of Subscription Strategy, Marketing and Data at Le Devoir

"

Our traffic share declined, but our subscription and revenue targets didn’t. So we focused on one priority: extracting maximum value from every visit. Converting our audience into subscribers was a key goal, but not all readers are likely to convert. So we also needed to capture additional value from that lower-intent segment."

"

—

Marianne Gélinas, Director of Subscription Strategy, Marketing and Data at Le Devoir

"

Our traffic share declined, but our subscription and revenue targets didn’t. So we focused on one priority: extracting maximum value from every visit. Converting our audience into subscribers was a key goal, but not all readers are likely to convert. So we also needed to capture additional value from that lower-intent segment."

"

—

Marianne Gélinas, Director of Subscription Strategy, Marketing and Data at Le Devoir

After evaluating multiple options in the market, Le Devoir chose Piano's ARI and dynamic paywall for one critical, differentiating reason: it was the only solution that promised to optimize both subscription revenue and advertising revenue simultaneously.

Most tools in the market focus on a single objective – increase subscriptions or boost ad revenue. Piano's dynamic paywall, powered by its ARI intelligence, could segment users based on their relationship with the brand and serve each reader the optimal experience, whether that meant presenting a subscription offer to a high-propensity buyer or maximizing ad impressions from a casual visitor.

Implementation was lean and agile.

The project required a small implementation team led by Marianne. Piano's platform proved user-friendly enough that it only required limited resources for implementation, "easy implementation, easy workflow".

Working closely with Piano's team, Le Devoir moved from a conservative initial strategy to a bolder approach, finding the "sweet spot" between hard-blocking users for subscription conversion and keeping content accessible to protect traffic and ad revenue. A full UX revamp of Le Devoir's platforms also complemented the dynamic paywall implementation, further boosting results.

The Solution

After evaluating multiple options in the market, Le Devoir chose Piano's ARI and dynamic paywall for one critical, differentiating reason: it was the only solution that promised to optimize both subscription revenue and advertising revenue simultaneously.

Most tools in the market focus on a single objective – increase subscriptions or boost ad revenue. Piano's dynamic paywall, powered by its ARI intelligence, could segment users based on their relationship with the brand and serve each reader the optimal experience, whether that meant presenting a subscription offer to a high-propensity buyer or maximizing ad impressions from a casual visitor.

Implementation was lean and agile.

The project required a small implementation team led by Marianne. Piano's platform proved user-friendly enough that it only required limited resources for implementation, "easy implementation, easy workflow".

Working closely with Piano's team, Le Devoir moved from a conservative initial strategy to a bolder approach, finding the "sweet spot" between hard-blocking users for subscription conversion and keeping content accessible to protect traffic and ad revenue. A full UX revamp of Le Devoir's platforms also complemented the dynamic paywall implementation, further boosting results.

The Solution

The results of the dynamic paywall test (dynamic group vs. control group) exceeded all expectations.

Results

The results of the dynamic paywall test (dynamic group vs. control group) exceeded all expectations.

Results

"

We’re very pleased with our decision to move forward with your dynamic paywall solution. Results have improved across all key metrics: subscription volume increased by 84%, subscription revenue by 82%, and advertising revenue by 32%. These aren't marginal gains; they're substantial and translate directly into real revenue, with no trade-offs. It’s a genuine win-win."

"

—

Marianne Gélinas, Director of Subscription Strategy, Marketing and Data at Le Devoir

"

We’re very pleased with our decision to move forward with your dynamic paywall solution. Results have improved across all key metrics: subscription volume increased by 84%, subscription revenue by 82%, and advertising revenue by 32%. These aren't marginal gains; they're substantial and translate directly into real revenue, with no trade-offs. It’s a genuine win-win."

"

—

Marianne Gélinas, Director of Subscription Strategy, Marketing and Data at Le Devoir

"

We’re very pleased with our decision to move forward with your dynamic paywall solution. Results have improved across all key metrics: subscription volume increased by 84%, subscription revenue by 82%, and advertising revenue by 32%. These aren't marginal gains; they're substantial and translate directly into real revenue, with no trade-offs. It’s a genuine win-win."

"

—

Marianne Gélinas, Director of Subscription Strategy, Marketing and Data at Le Devoir

Based on the success of the test, Le Devoir has since switched 100% of traffic to the dynamic paywall, eliminating the control group entirely. Post-test, the team reports that they are "healthy in subscription generation" and have been able to raise their advertising revenue targets and still meet them.

Beyond the numbers, the dynamic paywall has enabled Le Devoir to:

Use ARI data to guide editorial strategy: Marianne reviews content on a weekly and monthly basis with the editor-in-chief to identify which topics drive the most subscriptions.
Run continuous A/B/C tests: The team constantly tests different offers, designs, colors, and button types to stay on top of the "sweet spot" as consumption habits evolve.
Fuel strategic investment: The new revenue generated has allowed Le Devoir to propose new strategic initiatives.

Based on the success of the test, Le Devoir has since switched 100% of traffic to the dynamic paywall, eliminating the control group entirely. Post-test, the team reports that they are "healthy in subscription generation" and have been able to raise their advertising revenue targets and still meet them.

Beyond the numbers, the dynamic paywall has enabled Le Devoir to:

Use ARI data to guide editorial strategy: Marianne reviews content on a weekly and monthly basis with the editor-in-chief to identify which topics drive the most subscriptions.
Run continuous A/B/C tests: The team constantly tests different offers, designs, colors, and button types to stay on top of the "sweet spot" as consumption habits evolve.
Fuel strategic investment: The new revenue generated has allowed Le Devoir to propose new strategic initiatives.

Case Study

How Le Devoir Turned a Traffic Crisis into a Revenue Breakthrough with Piano's Dynamic Paywall

Case Study

How Le Devoir Turned a Traffic Crisis into a Revenue Breakthrough with Piano's Dynamic Paywall

Case Study

How Le Devoir Turned a Traffic Crisis into a Revenue Breakthrough with Piano's Dynamic Paywall

Key Test Results

Key Test Results

Key Test Results

+84%

+82%

+32%

+84%

+82%

+32%

The Challenge

The Challenge

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Implementation was lean and agile.

The Solution

Implementation was lean and agile.

The Solution

Results

Results

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Empower every team to understand and influence customer behavior.

Empower every team to understand and influence customer behavior.

Empower every team to understand and influence customer behavior.