Content Web Sites Finding It Harder to Charge Users Fees to Access Content

[mandy]

The number of UK media groups charging for online content has nearly halved over the last year, according to the Association of Online Publishers (AOP).

The association said just 37% of its members now charged for some online content, compared with 63% in 2005...

"While there remains a strong view from consumers that web content must be free, the healthy online ad market has probably convinced most publishers that there is little point in... trying to convert customers to paying,"...

full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4880150.stm

[mandy]

An article that takes the opposite view on the prospects for paid online content.  ;D

"All signs point to very strong and steady growth for paid online content," said Horan. "In each of the last five years, we've seen record revenues and record numbers of consumers paying for content. With only 12 percent of the total Web population purchasing online content, enormous opportunity for growth continues to exist."

The establishment of micropayments is seen as a key development in the online payment world. Even though the OPA says subscriptions remain the dominant online content pricing model, it said revenue from single payments jumped 61 percent last year and now make up more than 20 percent of all online paid content.

Such small payments have long been seen as a stumbling block in propagating more paid content use by consumers...

full article: http://ecommercetimes.com/story/pKwv3XqA...imit.xhtml