Friday, 26th of February 2010
Charging For Online Content
The Manchester Evening News is to experiment with charging for online content for the first time with a new supplement. Is this a case of trying to shut the stable door once the horse has bolted? And could this be another nail in the coffin for print?
The move comes as a number of newspaper publishing groups, most notably Rupert Murdoch's News International and regional group Johnston Press, are conducting paywall experiments as they look for new ways to replace lost advertising revenues from their printed publications.
Given the open and unfettered nature of the web, it is unreasonable to believe generic news can be effectively sequestered behind a pay firewall.
And, given the very fickle nature of web consumers, free content trumps pay. One solution then would be for all online newspapers to charge. Alternatively, they could charge for added value content.
If charging for online content goes ahead, to save the tradition of professional journalism it is vital publishers continue producing content that is sufficiently unique, authoritative and valuable to motivate consumers to pay for it. Video interviews, and interactive links will then be an added bonus.
So if you are in the print newspaper business the future looks bleak, but there is still some shelf life. There will still be a call for the comforting nature of a print newspaper. It is, for now, part of our culture and tradition. But increasingly the ‘paying for nowt’ attitude is consuming our everyday lives.
As PR professionals we appreciate the very nature of instant online news, but we also believe there needs to be a balance between print and online to make them both commercially viable.
