The debate on how to charge users for online news content is going strong. Most web versions of print media remain free but recent drop in online advertising revenue is forcing media companies to rethink their online strategies. While people are getting used to paying for music, film etc. online, they are resistant to parting with their money to consume news, especially since news and online version of print publications have always been free to access. An article in today’s (9th April 2009) IHT suggests that it should be possible for the media industry to come up with a user-based revenue generating strategy if they find a way to add value to their offering.
While it is true that the music industry, well iTunes really, has successfully managed to change users’ attitudes towards paying for music, it is also true that paying for music online results in users owning that track, or album. It is theirs to share, cherish, copy, or pass down the generations. This sense of ownership is lacking in news consumption. I cannot really feel that I own an IHT, Esquire, or Times article. I simply consume it and then discard it. At the moment I am reading a copy of the IHT, which soon I will bin. I certainly won’t bin the music on my iPod.
If media companies are to persuade users to pay for consuming news and print media online they need to address this lack of sense of ownership. Here are some ideas:
- Release content online well in advance of the print version. This should be possible for periodical publications. Users can then access content online before regular readers
- Only offer today’s issue for free. This is similar to me currently holding only today’s version of the IHT in my hands. This should make sense for daily publications.
- Charge for searching. A lot of the value in accessing news online is the ability to look for ‘old’ articles. While allowing users free access to today’s paper, charge them for searching and accessing existing content.
And finally,
- Get Apple to build an iPod for print media