A new study reports that "U.S. Readers Will Pay $3.00/Month For Online News" but there are several factors of why people will pay....
"The survey of 5,000 consumers in nine countries, revealed that the amount they are willing to fork over depends upon the country they live in and on the type of content that they deem most valuable. The average monthly amount consumers are prepared to pay ranges from $3 in the US and Australia to $7 in Italy.
Most Valuable Content
The research found that consumers are more likely to pay for news content that is unique, specialized, timely and convenient:
- 67% of overall respondents and 72% of US respondents are willing to pay for unique content, such as local news
- 63% overall respondents and 73% of US respondents are willing to pay for specialized coverage.
- 54% of overall respondents and 61% of US respondents are interested in timely news content, such as a continual news alert service
- A high percentage of both overall and US respondents are willing to pay for conveniently accessible content on a device of choice."
So who is percieved to have the specialized content that consumers are said to be willing to pay for?...
"In particular, national and local newspapers - which have content that is not available elsewhere. On the other hand, major metropolitan daily newspapers will likely struggle, BCG said.
The survey also suggested that several hybrid models for accessing news and content may emerge. For example, 52% of US consumers of business news would be interested in a bundled print-and-online subscription, compared with just 35% of young consumers."