RSSMurdoch: We're Considering Free WSJ.com
By the Betanews Staff | Published September 18, 2007, 3:00 PM
Following the New York Times' announcement Tuesday that it would be doing away with its premium online content, Rupert Murdoch hinted that the Wall Street Journal may be considering a similar move in the future at a conference for media held by Goldman Sachs in New York. Many have said giving away WSJ content online for free may hurt the paper's overall revenues, however Murdoch says he isn't buying that argument.
The media mogul seems to be following the same reasoning that the Times did: that by opening it up, and with good content, the revenues from selling advertising on its pages could far surpass any revenues it may have made off a subscription-only format. The current format has constrained any considerable online advertising, as it has caused the sites customer base to be more US-centric, and consumers generally frown upon ads in premium services.
I would just be happy if they knocked the subscription price back down to below $50 like it was when I first starting subscribing a few years ago, I quit subscribing when the price kept rising every year, its probably a $100 a year now. Free would be nice though.
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|That would be a mega home run, and as well put pressure on financial site / content competitors to follow suit.
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|A free WSJ would certainly get many clicks per day from me. And, with its known readership demographics, I'm betting advertising revenues will even increase with the decision to make the entire paper free online.
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|The only reason I dont read the WSJ online is because its not free. I usually bum the print edition at work or go through the school library service.
I am absolutely sure that if it becomes free I would almost have it as a homepage. I read so much from WSJ.
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|I Hope they do make it free........
Ilove the editorial page
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|As long as they leave their idiotic editorial page to the fixed noise channel.
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|Your kidding right? Who do you think runs and owns 95% of what your reading on that paper? The majority of libs in this world hate big business and corporations. If you going to use the ring wing to make cash - your going to hear their noise. I would expect a lot more editorial pages.
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|It's a much more difficult decision, however, since they have several times more paying users, and considerably more revenue from them, than the NYT ever did. They'd have to be sure to be able to pull in upwards of $100 million a year in ad revenue (they make nearly that from online subscriptions), and that sounds high.
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|Sure would be nice. I'd be a daily visitor.
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