They Still Won't Pay for News

A new Harris poll gauged consumer willingness to pay for news content online. The results weren't encouraging for wall builders. Most people still don't want to pay for their news—and those who are willing to pay don't want to shell out very much.

Of consumers polled in December 2009, 23 percent said that they would pay for the Wall Street Journal’s online content while only 20 percent of consumers polled in March 2011 said that they would pay for The New York Times online. Of those groups, the majority said that they would only be willing to pay up to $10 for online content. Very few consumers said that they would pay more than $20 for the Times, and almost none would be willing to pay that much for the Journal.

Could advertising revenue close the gap between what consumers are willing to pay and what news outlets want to charge? Maybe. According to data from eMarketer, by 2015, online ad spending will increase from the current $28.5 billion to $44.5 billion, with retail, automotive, and consumer packaged goods leading the way.