Online news sites: wishing or trending?
Rading the posting on "online newspapers' bottom line update" on Editorsweblog this morning. A few thoughts come to mind:
* Yes, consumers began paying for TV content in the form of cable subs - almost 40 years after TV's full commercial advent. At this rate, newspapers will be able to charge for content beginning in 2015 (taking into account an accelerated change in behavior over earlier media).
* Additionally, that date could be...never. Given the strong belief - and, importantly, documented behavior - among younger readers that "information wants to be free," I'm not sure they will ever care that "content could become so good." Aside from music content (videos and MP3s), this generation will simply look for other - free - content. And they're the future readers and behave as they are, not how media CEOs want them to. Is there any research showing young consumers willingly paying for news content? And won't there always be free sources that will be of "good enough" quality?
* A technical solution to a provider's need (micropayments) does not a thing for fulfilling consumers' needs - and the customer drives uptake here, not the business model of the provider. This treats a paper's readership as an installed base instead of as an audience - and we have to remember that installed bases never applaud, while audiences do - if the performance mertis it. Google really gets this.
These pronouncements sound more like wishes than trends.
* Yes, consumers began paying for TV content in the form of cable subs - almost 40 years after TV's full commercial advent. At this rate, newspapers will be able to charge for content beginning in 2015 (taking into account an accelerated change in behavior over earlier media).
* Additionally, that date could be...never. Given the strong belief - and, importantly, documented behavior - among younger readers that "information wants to be free," I'm not sure they will ever care that "content could become so good." Aside from music content (videos and MP3s), this generation will simply look for other - free - content. And they're the future readers and behave as they are, not how media CEOs want them to. Is there any research showing young consumers willingly paying for news content? And won't there always be free sources that will be of "good enough" quality?
* A technical solution to a provider's need (micropayments) does not a thing for fulfilling consumers' needs - and the customer drives uptake here, not the business model of the provider. This treats a paper's readership as an installed base instead of as an audience - and we have to remember that installed bases never applaud, while audiences do - if the performance mertis it. Google really gets this.
These pronouncements sound more like wishes than trends.
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