Hearld Sun Superfoooty Pay Wall goes up.

[Samsara]

couple of things

20k for cost of the ad - you make it sound like the people who are employed to code the HS website do it for free.

assuming people shying away from the paywall in disgust, will turn to buying the paper physically? you have got to be kidding. you've already labelled them as freeloaders then claim they will fork out money elsewhere?

one thing we should perhaps factor in (and which no-one else has as far as i can recall) might be the average intelligence of the online HS reader. they might be stupid enough to take up this offer.

Somone else mentioned it, but the paper is written with a target audience in mind with a year 8 level understanding. I remember studying some journalism units as part of a major in media and hearing the some thing from a lecturer. We spent some time learning how to write for papers such as the HS (didn't take long to master it) and we were continually reminded to tone down the writing to make it as simple as you could imagine.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

they will not get one red cent from me.

 

[Jentleman Geff]

Not an anachronism. Its the way of the future.

Heh. No it isn't. Content will only get cheaper. News Ltd are trying to protect an old, dying business model. Google, Facebook and others have changed the game. More people spend more time reading Facebook than they ever have reading newspapers.

The paywall won't result in people buying more newspapers. It will simply mean that eyeballs go elsewhere online. The AFL website and Telstra will probably reap the benefits.

 

[Father Jack]

Why would I buy the paper when I'm only going to read the sports bit (and even that's pretty much limited to footy and cricket), and why would I buy an online sub for something I tend to only scan the headlines of? Especially while The Age will have pretty much the same stories for free?

Also, to get online footy news the AFL section of newsnow.co.uk is pretty useful.

 

[HurlsMeister18]

Not sure if already been posted but existing six and seven day newspaper subscribers will receive free access to the sun digital pass for 12 months. Subscribers will receive notification with a promo code in the coming days to activate their free pass.

 

[Daytripper]

The paywall won't result in people buying more newspapers. It will simply mean that eyeballs go elsewhere online. The AFL website and Telstra will probably reap the benefits.

As I said, I am happy to bet anyone that the number of people who buy the physical paper will rise.

Firstly, the site is not user friendly.
Secondly, a lot of people still harbour distrust in putting personal financial information over the interwebs.

 

[ndot]

i tried to keep an open mind when i heard about this. thinking maybe if it's a small fee and their footy section is considerably enhanced it could be worth a go.

so i sign up for the free 2 month trial... and it's exactly the same crap i've been getting for free for the past 10 years!?! at least make an effort when the paywall goes live, to make it look like it might be worth paying for!

then i find out how much they're planning to charge

goodbye herald sun. hope their army of b-grade writers have fun writing articles no one will read.

 

[Jentleman Geff]

As I said, I am happy to bet anyone that the number of people who buy the physical paper will rise.

Firstly, the site is not user friendly.
Secondly, a lot of people still harbour distrust in putting personal financial information over the interwebs.

I don't think those who have lost free access are going to suddenly switch to physical media. The trend is increasingly away from physical media, there is little chance people will start buying papers as a result of a paywall going up.

Instead, they'll get their online news from other sources.

 

[Daytripper]

couple of things

20k for cost of the ad - you make it sound like the people who are employed to code the HS website do it for free.

Not quite sure of your point here unless you are supporting my argument.
I said there are costs involved in producing an ad that News Ltd would incur. Bandwidth, server costs, support etc - the coding would just be an additional cost

assuming people shying away from the paywall in disgust, will turn to buying the paper physically? you have got to be kidding. you've already labelled them as freeloaders then claim they will fork out money elsewhere?

I think a lot of people had given up buying the paper because they can get it for free online. That process should now be reversed

one thing we should perhaps factor in (and which no-one else has as far as i can recall) might be the average intelligence of the online HS reader. they might be stupid enough to take up this offer.

These sort of comments always amaze me. If the HUN is so bad, then WTF are you people doing reading it?
Are you all masochists?
Why would you actively seek something that displeases you?

 

[Daytripper]

I don't think those who have lost free access are going to suddenly switch to physical media. The trend is increasingly away from physical media, there is little chance people will start buying papers as a result of a paywall going up.

Instead, they'll get their online news from other sources.

I disagree and am happy to put my money where my mouth is.

 

[Hawker55]

I didn't go through 14 pages of this thread, but does it mean that I won't be able to read the insane ramblings of Mark 'Robbo' Robinson in his Award Winning The Tackle anymore?

 

[Jentleman Geff]

I disagree and am happy to put my money where my mouth is.

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

Paywalls seem to work for editorial and niche content. Herald Sun is too generalist for it to succeed - there are too many free competitors around covering the same stuff.

The AFL and Telstra will be rubbing their hands in glee at this announcement.

 

[cammo78]

Considering the fat **** boozehound Robbo is flapping his wrists around on my TV or ragging up on radio 23 hours of the day, I'm pretty sure I can go without reading his tripe online.

I hope you're reading this Robbo.

PS - stop referring to Mark McClure and David King (two people who have actually achieved something in the sport) as "McClure" and "King" you disrespectful ****.

 

[Daytripper]

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

Paywalls seem to work for editorial and niche content. Herald Sun is too generalist for it to succeed - there are too many free competitors around covering the same stuff.

As I pointed out before, it doesn't really have to 'succeed' to be more profitable than it is now - all it needs is some 10K people to take it up and they will get that easily.

The AFL and Telstra will be rubbing their hands in glee at this announcement.

Well, the share price of NWS would indicate otherwise.

 

[Jentleman Geff]

As I pointed out before, it doesn't really have to 'succeed' to be more profitable than it is now - all it needs is some 10K people to take it up and they will get that easily.

Well, the share price of NWS would indicate otherwise.

Really? It's down while the ASX is up. Has it beaten the market in the last week or something?

 

[Ron The Bear]

As I said, I am happy to bet anyone that the number of people who buy the physical paper will rise.

I already buy it on occasion to read over lunch and see no reason not to continue doing so, but I don't want to feel obligated to read it online every day because I'm being charged for it in advance.

 

[Daytripper]

Really? It's down while the ASX is up. Has it beaten the market in the last week or something?

LOL. Mate the market has known about this for ages.

Do you think the insto investors only found out yesterday morning when they logged on over breakfast.

 

[Daytripper]

I already buy it on occasion to read over lunch and see no reason not to continue doing so, but I don't want to feel obligated to read it online every day because I'm being charged for it in advance.

I'm actually similar.

Am leaning towards paying the $3 at this stage. Considering would probably get minimum 1-2 hours use of it per week, that's good value IMO.

But like you, I don't particularly like the concept of having to pay in advance. I do understand why it is being done that way though. Don't think they have too many other options in a practical sense.

 

[Jentleman Geff]

LOL. Mate the market has known about this for ages.

Do you think the insto investors only found out yesterday morning when they logged on over breakfast.

No, I don't, but I don't see News Ltd doing spectacularly recently either.

Considering their news assets are much larger than HS or the Australian, it would be absurd to infer any market reactions from this.

 

[dumb]

Not quite sure of your point here unless you are supporting my argument.
I said there are costs involved in producing an ad that News Ltd would incur. Bandwidth, server costs, support etc - the coding would just be an additional cost

going by your theory it just makes it harder to break even. i'd think that recouping via advertising behind a paywall would be a problem.

These sort of comments always amaze me. If the HUN is so bad, then WTF are you people doing reading it?
Are you all masochists?
Why would you actively seek something that displeases you?

i don't read it. or when i do actually peruse it, i don't pay for it. i don't see how whether or not people read it out of masochism has anything to do with the quality of stuff therein. people don't have to torture themselves to make a passing comment on what is in it.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Paywalls seem to work for editorial and niche content. Herald Sun is too generalist for it to succeed - there are too many free competitors around covering the same stuff.

Agree with this.

Anyway, news itself (as opposed to sport & celebrity gossip etc) is nearly always bad. The modern trend is to present it in a manner that creates concern or outrage. The public would be happier, if dumber, for not reading it.

 

[Daytripper]

No, I don't, but I don't see News Ltd doing spectacularly recently either.

Considering their news assets are much larger than HS or the Australian, it would be absurd to infer any market reactions from this.

Of course the market is going to react if advertisers are going to take flight or buyers of the physical paper take leave. That it hasn't suggests that all the prophets of doom on here about this being the end of News Ltd etc are way off beam.

 

[Daytripper]

going by your theory it just makes it harder to break even. i'd think that recouping via advertising behind a paywall would be a problem.

Sigh - can you read my post again please. I was referring to costs versus revenue pre paywall not post.
Surely, I made that quite obvious.

i don't read it. or when i do actually peruse it, i don't pay for it.

LOL - Of course you don't.

i don't see how whether or not people read it out of masochism has anything to do with the quality of stuff therein. people don't have to torture themselves to make a passing comment on what is in it.

So you pass comment on something that you don't read.

 

[dumb]

Sigh - can you read my post again please. I was referring to costs versus revenue pre paywall not post.
Surely, I made that quite obvious.

and i'm saying they're shooting themselves in the foot.

LOL - Of course you don't.

So you pass comment on something that you don't read.

that's right. people are masochists, or they don't read it, and nothing in between. but word it however you like. i read enough of it to know that i don't want to read the rest. you may call that what you want.

 

[Jentleman Geff]

Of course the market is going to react if advertisers are going to take flight or buyers of the physical paper take leave. That it hasn't suggests that all the prophets of doom on here about this being the end of News Ltd etc are way off beam.

News Ltd are a big enough media company to wear hits to its many holdings. It shut down a profitable paper without blinking. It has struggled with its paywall for The Times. It lost money on MySpace.

Doesn't mean its TV and other media holdings aren't hugely profitable.