Abc News To Build Online Paywalls -- Again
15 March 2010
Abc News To Build Online Paywalls -- Again
ABC News, which has experimented unsuccessfully with paywalls for its online content in the past, plans to try some new approaches -- starting around June, ABC News Digital chief Paul Slavin has told paidContent.com. Acknowledging that advertisers are no longer pumping the amount of dollars into online content as they did before the economic downturn, Slavin told the website, "Things are changing and we need to seriously think about alternatives to ad support ... and that will involve creating some mix of free and paid content for our digital content." He indicated that Apple's planned introduction of the iPad has spurred the latest discussions about developing paid content in which questions are being asked like "How much do we put behind the wall and how much do we keep free? ... The iPad has been a great conversation starter. But it's not an either/or. There's no reason that pay and free can't live together and support each other. No one is talking bout putting [all] content behind a paywall, and no one is talking about making everything free." Meanwhile, CBS has discovered a solid source for online revenue -- its sports coverage. Advertising Age reported today (Monday) that that CBS's live online coverage of college basketball's March Madness will bring in $37 million. "More importantly," AdAge pointed out, the network "sold as many ads for live web coverage as it does on TV, taking CBS a little closer to the holy grail earning the same revenue per viewer regardless of platform -- TV, online and, perhaps soon, mobile."
15/03/2010
Contactmusic
| Comment on this article |
A Week In Movies: Cannes Film Festival Kicks off, Coen Brothers' & James Franco Are Potential Award Winners, Michael Douglas Portrays Liberace In Behi 
![Kanye West Teases New Material From Inside A Pyramid At Surprise NYC Show [Video]](http://images.contactmusic.com/images/home/kim-kardashian-and-kanye-west-are-seen_5902594.jpg "Kanye West Teases New Material From Inside A Pyramid At Surprise NYC Show [Video]")
![Rita Ora - Who Knew Rita Ora Was Dating DJ Calvin Harris? [Pictures]](http://images.contactmusic.com/images/home/rita-ora-calvin-harris-celebs-at-nobu-berkeley_3668303.jpg "Rita Ora - Who Knew Rita Ora Was Dating DJ Calvin Harris? [Pictures]")
![Pregnant Kim Kardashian Still Strutting Around In Heels [Pictures]](http://images.contactmusic.com/images/home/kim-kardashian-kim-kardashian-seen-shopping-with_3667494.jpg "Pregnant Kim Kardashian Still Strutting Around In Heels [Pictures]")
Comments