Valuing newspaper website content: what people are willing to pay for and why

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Analytics

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Last Modified
  • March 21, 2019
Creator
  • Hussman, Mary Eliza
    • Affiliation: Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Abstract
  • This paper investigates whether people are willing to pay to access a newspaper website that charges for content, and what news they'll pay for. This is important as it directly relates to the economic vitality of the newspaper industry, which hasn't crafted sustainable business models for digital editions. A survey of online readers of a mid-sized newspaper indicates a willingness to pay for exclusive digital content, especially local news. A majority of subscribers felt the price for online access (less than $20) was a fair price and indicated they'd become online-only subscribers if a print edition wasn't available. Nonsubscribers were more likely to feel the price was too high and seek substitute sources for local news. Roughly half of nonsubscribers said they'd consider subscribing if the price decreased. The results raise questions about pricing elasticity of subscriber models and the consumer's evolving attitude toward paying for digital information.
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  • In Copyright
Note
  • ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Advisor
  • Abernathy, Penny Muse
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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