Media experts do not believe in paywall
ONLINE MEDIA According to a survey of experts, paid online offerings are also likely to find it difficult to establish themselves in the future. The experts also see a quality problem with online journalism.
Quo vadis paywall? Experts give online payment barriers little credit. Under the term DELPHInarium, Publicom, which specializes in media research and consulting, publishes the results of a survey of experts twice a year. The panel includes forty experts from leading media companies as well as representatives from advertising, media journalism, communications science and corporate communications.Paid services face uncertain futureThe current results show: The question of how to finance online information is still unresolved. Only a quarter of respondents believe that paid online services will sooner or later become established. There is hardly any willingness to pay for mainstream news and entertainment in particular.
Source: www.publicom.chBut experts largely agree that audiences are willing to dig into their pockets for high-quality exclusive content. However, it is less clear how such content should be structured. The experts are most likely to expect willingness to pay for business and financial market information, while there is little hope for international news, sports and tabloid topics.
Source: www.publicom.chLess quality because of digitization?Almost half of all daily information is already consumed online via digital channels. But universal availability is one thing, the other is the quality of the information, and this is declining, according to the study.Two thirds of the experts surveyed agree: online information has a quality problem. On the one hand, the error rate is growing because of the need for speed and because more and more players are reacting to events. On the other hand, journalists' orientation toward click rates favors shallow content suitable for the masses.
Source: www.publicom.chIncreasing the market value of media brandsThere is no consensus, however, on what the consequences of this development will be for media brands. Although a clear majority of experts believe that media brands can significantly increase their brand value on the Net, it is uncertain whether online media can take over the function of leading media today and in the near future. Almost half of those surveyed believe this is possible, while a slight majority are skeptical.A detailed report is available at www.publicom.ch or www.delphinarium.ch.
