A sign of things to come? Despite plenty of protest and studies to the opposite, it appears people are willing to pay for digital content from traditional newspapers, as long as the process is easy. AdAge reports that newspapers in Europe are having some success with their apps, something that is likely to increase with the release of the iPad:
“[In Germany] Bild, with print circulation of 3 million, and Die Welt, with print circulation of 300,000, have collectively sold 100,000 app subscriptions in just four weeks. “We are very pleased,” [a spokesman for the company that owns both papers] said. “We didn’t expect that many.” The company is also developing offers for the iPad when it launches in Europe in April.”
Meantime, France’s Le Monde has 100,000 paid subs for its online offering at $8/month. Will this be a purely European phenomenon, or will pay-for-news catch on in the U.S.?
UPDATE: Adds Terry Heaton in comments: “I pay $10 a month for Kindle access to the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I read it on the treadmill, and it really works well. Small price, methinks, so I can see possibilities for this today where I couldn’t just a couple of years ago. BTW, Kindle — and subsequent tablet devices — make it possible for TV stations to provide an overnight printed version of the news, if they wish. Download time is 3 a.m. I’m just sayin…”
