How the Tablet Could Finally Stop the Press

I read with interest this week media speculation that Montreal-based French language newspaper La Presse was apparently planning to make the bold step of phasing out its print edition with the promise of a free tablet to those purchasing a three year subscription to their digital edition.

If the speculation proves to be true – and it should be stressed that La Presse have so far remained tight-lipped – such a strategy is an interesting one: make a significant investment in upfront hardware costs in exchange for enticing a large portion of your 200,000 readers to start reading the digital edition of La Presse. This would drive readers to your online content while potentially making a case for phasing out the print edition altogether.

It should be a win-win situation for the company and the reader. It means the newspaper retains readers and gains new income through online subscriptions, while the readers themselves get a fancy gadget which is theirs to do with as they please.

It’s no secret that newspapers across the world have been working hard find the answer to making money off the online versions of their publications. But now the talking has come to an end, with many now dipping their toes in the uncertain waters of online subscriptions as they try to answer the multi-million dollar question of how to monetize their titles online.

Some have already dived in with both feet. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. has implemented online pay walls on two of its best performing titles – the up market The Times and the scandal and celebrity obsessed News of the World.

Meanwhile, the New York Times and The Telegraph appear to be toying with the idea of a ‘pay fence’, where casual readers can continue to access online content for free up to a certain number of articles before credit card details are politely requested.

It’s fascinating to see so many major media companies experimenting with such different models. Even more fascinating will be seeing which one proves most effective. One thing’s for sure though: the days when news delivery was restricted by the deadline of the printing press are long gone. That clichéd newsroom cry of “stop the presses” (which, incidentally, I never heard once in seven years as a newspaper reporter) has long since been rendered redundant.

Technology has proved to be both a blessing and a curse for the modern newsroom. Getting the news out the door has never been easier. Making a living off it has become infinitely harder. Let battle commence.