Media, Murdoch and Micro payments

DT’s Alistair Turner shares his thoughts on the ever changing media landscape.

The advent of the iPad, combined with News International's renewed vigour in making consumers pay for digital content leaves little doubt that the massive changes to our media landscape has no sign of abating.

Where there’s a will there’s a way, and the will of these two corporate giants (despite pretty much united scepticism from media commentators) is pretty difficult to ignore. The iPad, smart phone applications, and the media’s need to ensure its journalism is not devalued by allowing it to be distributed across the internet, bring cause to remind us of a quote used some five years ago in a Davies Tanner Media Workshop.

The quote was from Rupert Murdoch, when questioned about the future of his newspaper empire, he cunningly announced that his business was not in ‘paper’ but ‘content’ and the mediums of his content would continue to change. At the time he also predicted that news would be delivered to electronic bedside ‘pads’ rather than through the post box.

But why would consumers pay for something they’ve only ever had for free? One need look no further than the micro payment business model that has seen iTunes become one of the world’s largest music distributor, and the creation of a growing number of app-illionaires, producing low cost, easy pick up apps. Perhaps the idea of a micropayment for our daily newspaper, monthly gossip mag or favourite meetings and events title is not so far away.

The future of digital distribution? Davies Tanner recommends readers view the following app from none other than the Daily and Sunday Express:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ff4LJzRzg.