Huffington Post CEO does not believe in paywalls
Jimmy Mayman, CEO of the online newspaper The Huffington Post, isn't a fan of paywalls. He reveals in an interview with Schweiz am Sonntag that future payment models will have to be much more sophisticated.
Maymann does not believe that the traditional newspaper business will still be financially viable in ten years' time - with the exception of weekend newspapers. He accuses publishers of only now realizing how fast the change is progressing and now wanting an immediate solution, although this requires a lot of time and must be adapted step by step to the new circumstances. However, Maymann believes that a strategy is lacking.
Paywalls are not the solution, as they simply transfer the existing subscription system to the online world - but do not work there because it is a different world and most readers have become accustomed to the free culture anyway. This is despite the fact that 15 to 20 percent of the readership would be willing to pay money for content. However, this content would have to be clearly different from that offered today - for example, it would have to cover niches. Maymann sees opportunities for functioning new subscription models in offers that are individually tailored to the user.
Native advertising, the controversial and often frowned upon form of advertising from a journalistic perspective that mixes advertising and editorial content, is something Maymann defends. "You can either be innovative and come up with a new idea to save journalism. Or you can oversleep the development and go under." Online media is about finding a "balance" between advertising and content. If you don't achieve this, readers will drop off and you can react.
The Huffington Post is an American online newspaper founded in 2005, which since 2013 has also had a German offshoot has. Most of the articles are written by unpaid, volunteer authors and refer to reports from other media. In addition, articles and columns are regularly published by celebrities and a core editorial team, including co-founder Arianna Huffington herself. The online newspaper has 110 million visitors per month, employs around 700 people in the editorial department and, according to Maymann, is set to turn a profit for the first time this year. (hae)
You can also find the interview with Jimmy Maymann online at Switzerlandamsunday.ch
