[LINK] Times Online lost 90% of readership post-paywall

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Ivan Trundle
> Sent: Wednesday, 28 July 2010 8:42 PM
> To: Link list
> Subject: [LINK] Times Online lost 90% of readership post-paywall
> 
> 
> Well, of course you'd expect rivals to claim this. However...
> 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/20/times-paywall-readership


>"Sabbagh goes on to calculate that the typical Times print reader is
worth "at least two and a half times" the average online reader."

So if a Times reader is worth 2.5 times the average reader... Does that
mean a subscription to the times is 2.5 times more expensive than any
other online newspaper or does it mean that their Nielsen numbers will
be...

   "Adjusted" to reflect the increased net worth of the readership to
show that they actually only lost 75% of their readership.

What the article doesn't mention is the thousands of dollars News Ltd
will save in bandwidth delivery charges, server farms, electricity,
maintenance of hardware and software update licences (less servers, less
licence fees ;-)   )

(Rupert has shown his concern for the environment in the purchase of
carbon offset credits for one of his movies last year. This walled
garden is obviously a twist on saving the global eco system.) 

So actually, the reality is that the readership "boost" that they have
had for the last decade and a half, has now disappeared and the 3%
advertising model...

i.e.: 3% of advert viewers act on the subliminal nature of repeated
advertising...

Will no longer purchase anything. The resulting 2.75% drop in the retail
numbers in the UK for the third quarter will no doubt confirm that the
Times was in fact a major backbone element of the advertising economy
and it's withdrawal from the basket of "free" advertising supported
circulation publications will require the Bank of England to be forced
to no doubt bail out Woolworths and most of high street in the fourth
quarter...

This is especially so as millions leave FTA and Cable TV for on-net
advert free entertainment options.

As Confucius say...   "Global economy needs advertising to survive."

Err, that's Harry Confucius and not THE Confucius.

TomK