The final day of paidContent:UK’s paid-for content survey conducted by Harris Interactive, shows a little more consumer willingness to pay, if a newspaper is chucked in too:
“While only five percent of people who read a news site at least once a month told us they would pay for online access, when you throw in a free or discounted subscription to the printed paper, that rises to a combined 48 percent…”
paidContent’s US site has a great round-up of the smaller and medium newspaper websites (e.g. away from the much heralded FT.com and WSJ.coms of the world) that are charging for online access.
Despite differing subscription models the overall suggestion is that online traffic has been badly affected, but some titles suggest a positive impact on print circulation as a result of charging for online.
See also paidContent:UK’s analysis of plunging print audiences and rising cover prices.