MarketingMag readers believe media will stay free, paywalls not the future
Readers of MarketingMag.ca do not believe that a metered paywall system is the way of the future for online news. In fact, they believe that media will always find a way to be free.
In light of Postmedia’s Paul Godfrey’s assertion that more Canadian media will employ some sort of metered system for online news in the near future, MarketingMag conducted an unscientific online poll that asked if readers believed this to be true.
Apparently, they do not. MarketingMag.ca asked “Is Postmedia’s Paul Godfrey right? Will all Canadian media go pay-per-view online?” The responses:
- Never. Consumers will get it free one way or the other (58.3%)
- Yes, but let’s face it: most Canadian media isn’t The New York Times. People will only pay for quality (20.5%)
- Too early to tell. Who knows what models will emerge over the next three years? (18.9%)
- Yes, consumers are coming around to this idea (2.3%)
Earlier this month, Godfrey told The Canadian Press, "I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Torstar and the Globe and Mail within the next year, being on some sort of metered system too.”
Last year, Postmedia rolled out a metered paywall system for the Montreal Gazette and the Victoria Times Colonist, which has since been sold to Glacier Media. Torstar launched its first metered model on the Hamilton Spectator in September, and The Globe and Mail will launch a subscription-based product for business and financial news this summer.
According to its media kit, MarketingMag.ca readers are made up of advertisers, marketers and other media professionals.
What do you think? Who is right in this case – Godfrey, or the poll’s respondents?
