Previous research on the question of charging for Web site content has not been encouraging for publishers. In a Spring 2001 survey, Lyra Research found that only 10% of online respondents acknowledged paying for "premium music and news sites." Beyond behavior, consumer attitudes augur strongly against the prospects for pay-for-access success. Morepointedly, Lyra reported an overwhelming reluctance among online users to pay for newspaper site content: Almost eight of ten respondents "strongly disagreed that newspapers should charge for site access." For publishers of newspaper-affiliated Web sites, what's still missing from existing research is greater detail on the attitudes and behavior of the current market for newspapers' Web content. After all, the online audience for newspaper sites comprised just over one in four Web users in September 2000, according to measurement service Nielsen/NetRatings. That equates to more than 28 million Web users from whom newspapers stand to profit--or lose--immediately. In conducting our research, Borrell & Associates sought to answer two basic yet unaddressed questions about newspapers' existing audiences on the Web: * Will visitors to local newspaper sites pay for access to general content--and if so, how much will they pay? * What are the key drivers of Web audiences' willingness to pay? KEY FINDINGS: RESISTANCE TO PAID ACCESS; TOLERANCE FOR REGISTRATION The market for paid access to local news content is undeveloped and will required substantial marketing efforts to meet goals. Consumers haven't paid for content because: 1. They're conditioned to expect news for free. 2. They don't perceive incremental value in online news--either as a standalone product or as a value-add to the print edition. 3. The newspaper franchise is strong enough to lure a core audience online, but not strong enough to make them pay. 4.
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