EDITORIAL: New era for winning writing
As Business Day enters a new era it's worth noting global financial publications have demonstrated readers are prepared to pay for quality content and that this has never been more important
Business Day enters a new era today, beginning the process of asking digital users to pay for access to our website. For this newspaper, it’s a big step, but around the world, it’s old news. Newspapers — particularly quality publications determined to continue producing meaningful content — have been debating this issue for about a decade. In some ways, the answer has always been obvious. If we intend to produce quality content that is expensive to create, we have two choices for generating income: rely on advertisers or rely on our readers. The mechanics of this choice are, in a sense, obvious too, since each digital advertising rand is worth about one-tenth of a print advertising rand. Some large-scale websites that rely on easy-to-produce gossip and sensation can possibly survive on digital advertising alone. We cannot. It’s an obvious step too from a purely logical perspective. As many have pointed out before, giving away your content for free is not a business model. The trajec...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.