Bad news first: readers do not want to pay for news online. Period. But readers of all ages, including the millennials–the age group closely watched on all things e-content consumption–want their news to come from trusted source. According to a Reuters poll conducted back in April, 81 percent of the 1240 respondents said that a news brand is synonymous with trusted content but two thirds of them said they wouldn’t pay for any content if available to them online, regardless of who is behind it.
Digiday recently interviewed Reuters commercial director Jeff Perkins on the challenges of news organizations dealing with such findings. The interview may be read here; some more highlights below:
- the future of how millennials consume news will mostly be influenced by virtual reality, wearable devices, and artificial intelligence
- the reports of “the homepage” being dead or dying have been greatly exaggerated
- the millennials consume most news via social media, particularly Facebook, followed by LinkedIn and Twitter
Also recommended reading on the subject of news publishers’ survival: As e-reading moves to mobile, how will news publishers make money? [TeleRead]