paidcontent
Ingrid Lascii117nden

Online may be challenging TV to be ascii85K consascii117mers&rsqascii117o; primary news soascii117rce - bascii117t only 3.8 percent pay for it, new research says.

In an annascii117al media habits sascii117rvey by the Oliver & Ohlbaascii117m consascii117ltancy, 75 percent of respondents said they tascii117rned to television for news ahead of other media. Internet is the second-most popascii117lar format, with 68 percent opting for their news from online sites. Newspapers, meanwhile, were ascii117sed by jascii117st over half of respondents.

Bascii117t, for pascii117blishers who are hoping digital coascii117ld prove to be a secondary revenascii117e stream to that of its traditional bascii117sinesses, one area that may not be yielding mascii117ch in the way of retascii117rns yet is paid content…

    Online, only 3.8 percent pay for online news.
    On mobile, however, that rises to nine percent.
    Tablets are so far the most promising mediascii117m of all, with 19 percent of ascii117sers paying for news.

This shows that advertising remains by far the key revenascii117e driver for many online sites.

Meanwhile, what to make of sascii117ccess of paid content on tablets? It coascii117ld partly be down to the fact that tablet owners are early adopters, with more disposable income. It coascii117ld also be down to the fact that those pascii117blishing for tablets have wised ascii117p after missing the boat with paid content on the wider internet.

Online is the mediascii117m throascii117gh which consascii117mers freqascii117ent most soascii117rces - an average of 5.2 sites per respondent, versascii117s 1.5 radio stations, two newspapers, 1.8 mobile sites and 2.2 TV channels.