"While there are indications that several of News' competitors, such as The New York Times, are also flirting with the premium model in mobile, if the approach is not widely adopted, the ease with which readers can access free alternatives could jeopardise Murdoch's bold new venture." Presumably, another example of attempting to obtain dual revenue streams? $4/week sounds steep to me, so even those who do pay would be unlikely to pay that same fee for as many publications as they are used to viewing on the Internet. I think these guys have a tough row to hoe. We're past the era when people were loyal to their one newspaper, and bothered reading it cover to cover. IMO. Bert -------------------------------------------- http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2010/08/16/murdoch-launch-premium-news-mobiles.htm Murdoch to launch premium news for mobiles New publication is likely to draw talent and content from across the News Corp. empire By MATT LEWIS Published: 16 August, 2010 Everyone loves the Internet. Everyone, that is, except news publishers; many of whom have seen their traditionally stable and reliable newspaper and magazine business model flipped on its head with the oversupply of free content the internet has brought. Now, Rupert Murdoch is attempting to wield a blow to the free content approach by embracing the growing popularity of mobile consumer devices like the iPad and smartphones. As newspaper and magazine advertising and subscription revenues have fallen and the landscape becomes increasingly littered with the carcases of numerous local, and some national, publications, large media players have started threatening to stem the flow of free content, forcing readers to pay for what they view. None has been more vocal about the challenge facing the news industry than Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of News Corp., the world's second largest media conglomerate (behind Disney) which owns broadcasting, film, newspaper, magazine and radio properties spread across the entire planet. Murdoch has already erected a paywall around some of News' properties, such as the The Times and The Sunday Times in the UK. Visitors to these websites are able to view the full homepage but clicking on any link triggers the prompt: "Available exclusively by subscription." This approach is a gamble since if News' competitors don't eventually follow its lead, readers are likely to defect to free news providers. Murdoch sees the new generation of tablets and smartphone as a potential lifesaver in terms of the ability to both charge subscriptions and reach a young audience. A couple weeks ago, Murdoch praised the iPad as a "game changer" for news media and predicted that "hundreds and hundreds of millions" of similar tablet computers will eventually be sold around the world. The Wall Street Journal, another News property, already charges $4 a week for delivery through the iPad. Details released over the weekend suggests that Murdoch is now preparing to ratchet up his embrace of mobile devices with the launch of a new digital newspaper in the US targeted at the young and distributed as a paid-for service through tablets and smartphones. The iPad and iPhone will likely be key target devices since both have a young user base with a demonstrated willingness to pay for content and services in a mobile context. The new publication is likely to draw talent and content from across the News Corp. empire - including Fox, The New York Post, Dow Jones and National Geographic - and it is assumed that it will take advantage of the location-aware, interactive and social networking features which are central features on these devices. Although Murdoch is not pioneering the paid-for model on mobile - Wired magazine has enjoyed success with its paid-for iPad app - the strategy is not without the same risks inherent in asking consumers to pay for something they have grown to expect for free. While there are indications that several of News' competitors, such as The New York Times, are also flirting with the premium model in mobile, if the approach is not widely adopted, the ease with which readers can access free alternatives could jeopardise Murdoch's bold new venture. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.