4529 days ago
News International has announced that it is to massively increase the cost of buying the Sunday Times and Sun newspapers. This is seen by some as good news for Trinity Mirror (TNI) and by others as a prelude to a spinoff of Murdoch’s newspaper interests. I view it another sign of an industry failing to adapt and so in precipitous decline.
The Sunday Times will now cost £2.50. Okay it may have 27 sections and you may need a shopping trolley to get it back home from the newsagents but that seems pretty steep to me. The problem all newspapers face today is that 99% of their content adds very little value to the reader. Home and foreign news, financial news, sport, gardening, cooking, property, lifestyle articles are all available all over the internet. For free. The value added by one particular paper is minimal. The real value add is columnists whose opinions you really wish to read and the odd exclusive. But in order to get that I, as a reader, have to pay the costs of gathering, assembling, printing and distributing all the other stuff which I can get for free online (and most of which is junk anyway).
