Content is key to newspaper survival, says expert

A Deloitte media and technology expert has warned that good content in newspapers is the only way to keep readers from migrating to the internet.

But he said he was not seeing investment in content in SA. Mark Casey last week said that content was also key if publishers were looking to charge for it online.

His comments came as South African media houses, hit by the recession and the resulting cutbacks in advertising, are all looking at cost- cutting measures, and as Naspers , Africa’s biggest media group, initiates its second round of voluntary severance packages aimed largely at editorial and specialist writers at media arm Media24.

“The challenge is to keep content standards up, (and) retention of journalist talent has never been more important for both online and print. If not, publications will not get the readership because people have plenty of choice online,” Casey said. He had noticed “a deterioration in the quality of some publications over the last few years”.

Casey was speaking after the release of Deloitte’s global report containing technology, media and telecommunication predictions for this year, based on interviews with 9000 people in 90 countries.

Casey said newspapers and magazines were expected to continue threatening to charge readers for online content this year, but it was most likely a hybrid model would be implemented with most of the content free and only premium content is charged for.

“Online readers might be willing to become micro-payment customers but only if the content is good enough and worth the effort,” he said. “It has to be easy to register and pay for articles, and there (have) to be good search facilities and attractively laid-out web pages.

“For some online readers, acquiring an article for 30c online may not justify the time taken to enter credit card details,” Casey said.

Good news for the struggling S ABC is that scheduled television and radio broadcasts are still the most popular by a long shot, despite a proliferation of technologies like digital video recorders, pay-per- view, on-demand television, podcasts and online music services.

The research shows 90% of television and 80% of audio content consumed will be via traditional broadcast. This may rise this year with new technology like high-definition TV.

- February 02, 2010 by Chantelle Banjamin

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Source: www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx (accessed on 05.02.2010)