October 5, 2009
Media turns to mobile phone applications to raise revenue
The bandwagon that Rupert Murdoch started rolling earlier this year, when he pledged that more of his online content would be moved behind some form of paywall, has attracted a lot of passengers with the survey showing that nearly 70% of respondents plan to charge for content in the next 12 months, reports The Guardian.
A large chunk of that charging is likely to take place in the mobile sphere ,with 56% saying they expect to develop "paid for" apps in the next 12 months. These will not just be aimed at iPhone users, but BlackBerry, Nokia and handsets running Google's new Android platform too.
... A new generation of apps is appearing which are aimed at generating their own circulation or subscription revenues.
According to according to Tim Faircliff, the general manager of consumer media at Thomson Reuters and co-chair of the Association of Online Publishers.
"People are used to paying something for content and services on a mobile phone, whether it's a text message or a download or ringtone or wallpaper," he says. "There is a comfort factor. In that medium people are more aware of the need or requirement for some sort of payment." The media industry is increasingly hoping it stays that way.
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