Online subscription model withers – but only for consumer sites?

Jounalism.co.uk reports on an AOP (Association of Online Publishers) survey which finds that almost half the number of publishers charging for content in 2005 are doing so this year.

The shift in strategy for the industry is apparently being bank-rolled by the boom in internet advertising.

It’s good news for online conversation, given that sites that have subscriptions can’t be simply linked to by blogs and other social media. They limit their audience, and not in a good way… Brand Republic are you listening?.

Well, actually Haymarket says it is listening. Journalism.co.uk quotes the chairman of AOP and managing director of group business information strategy as saying that there’s "little point" trying to convert consumers that think content should be free.

At the time of this going to press, BR and the other Haymarket trade titles still had their passwords enabled though.

Oh hang, on MR Murray continues: "However, I suspect that within the B2B market
and with some of the more interactive, high-value consumer content
enabled by broadband, we will see long-term growth in the number of
publishers charging for the best content."

*Bah!*

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