Newspapers Seem Determined to Walk Pay Wall Path
Nearly 60% of [newspaper] respondents are considering initiating paid access for currently open/free news and information online, and nearly 25% expect to implement a paid strategy in the next six months. This is a big change, says the report, considering that 90% of the responding newspapers currently do not charge for content, and only 3% currently have a paid-only site.
Capturing new revenue and preserving print are likely the key drivers of any final decision to adopt a paid-content strategy. 34% of respondents think capturing new revenue opportunities is or will be the most important factor, while 28% think it is or will be preserving print circulation.
Having previously worked for a media group that adopted a free registration strategy that was widely disliked by its web audience -- I can only add that a pay model would drive huge numbers away. Now maybe that remaining audience generates substantial revenue -- but that's assuming that content cannot be found elsewhere on the web for free. And that's a difficult position to defend.
Personally, I don't visit espn.com anymore because I grew tired of being teased into a pay wall that guarded their best content.
A smarter play IMO is to offer more convenient content aka. Kindle subscription. You're not walling off the content, you are charging for a new service you provide. I pay for blogs on Kindle that I can read for free on the web, because I value the convenience, portability and readability of the service.
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