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Australian newspapers online: Four business models revisited

Lewis, Kieran J. (2004) Australian newspapers online: Four business models revisited. Media International Australia 111:pp. 131-144.

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Abstract

This article revisits four online news business models, first documented in 1997, to discuss current worldwide newspaper website trends and new research data on Australian newspaper websites. The data are from a survey of Australian newspapers and their websites, and show that the Australian experience mirrors international experience in terms of the growth of newspapers online and their lack of profitability. The survey shows that, while there is international evidence that providing news content online reduces offline newspaper subscriptions, a third of the newspapers studied registered circulation increases after setting up their websites. While there is international evidence that generating revenue through online advertising is difficult, for nearly half of the newspapers studied, overall advertising revenue increased after setting up their websites. The survey also found that, while newspaper publishers worldwide continue to rely mainly on the subscription and advertising business models to generate revenue online, there is evidence that Australian newspapers are forming online alliances with other media and non-media businesses to facilitate their online business activities

Item Type:Journal Article
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Keywords:Online newspapers; business model; Advertising; Profitability;
Subjects:400000 Journalism, Librarianship and Curatorial Studies > 400100 Journalism, Communication and Media > 400104 Communication and Media Studies
400000 Journalism, Librarianship and Curatorial Studies > 400100 Journalism, Communication and Media > 400101 Journalism
ID Code:291
Deposited By:Callan, Paula
Deposited On:21 July 2004
Alternative Locations:http://www.uq.edu.au/emsah/mia/index.html
Copyright Owner::Copyright 2004 University of Queensland
Copyright Statement::Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher : This journal is available online - use hypertext links above.