content economics

The New York Times finally committed last week to a plan to start charging readers of its website for some of the articles they read. And, as with most events preceded by enormous buildup, it was a bit of a disappointment. Here's why.

Cutting a deal with Microsoft (MSFT) to block Google (GOOG) in exchange for cash may or may not be a viable way for Rupert Murdoch to improve the economics of his media outlets. But before he can find out, Murdoch will have to answer a different question: Is it even legal? It may not be, according...

As I've written, it's all but inconceivable that News Corp. (NWS) will block Google (GOOG) from indexing the stories produced by its various online news outlets, but try telling Rupert Murdoch that. In an interview on his own Fox Business Network Tuesday, the owner of The Wall Street Journal and...

Rupert Murdoch wants everyone to know that Fox News doesn't start playground fights -- but it's not afraid of them, either. On a conference call to discuss News Corp.'s (NWS) fiscal first-quarter earnings, the 78-year-old chairman, dialing in from Sydney, Australia, was asked about reports that...

Ever since Rupert Murdoch took over The Wall Street Journal, he's been remaking it as more of a general-interest read with ample political coverage and extras like a sports page and a pop-culture blog. But where does that leave all the in-depth industry news and analysis? In fact, soon there will...

Reed Hastings sure knows how to bring down the mood in a room. The Netflix founder and CEO was a guest Wednesday at the Magazine Publishers of America's Innovation Summit, but he couldn't bring himself to tell his hosts what they surely wanted to hear. During a keynote interview, Hastings...

Steve Forbes, editor in chief of Forbes magazine and former Republican presidential candidate, was at the Paley Center for Media Tuesday afternoon to talk about the economy as part of Advertising Week. But what I really wanted to know is what he thinks of BusinessWeek. Why doesn't Forbes -- or just...

Just about every major periodical is pondering a move to paid digital content, but most are taking an oh-so-gingerly approach, trying to figure out how to coax some fresh revenues out of readers without taking a big hit in traffic and advertising. Not Variety, though. The Hollywood trade paper is...

Microsoft's Bing may be the fastest-growing player in the search market, but IAC chairman Barry Diller doesn't seem to think much of its prospects. Diller told attendees of the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference on Wednesday that he believes trying to beat Google at its own game, as Bing is...

The evidence continues to pile up that this will be the year newspapers start charging you to access their digital content. The latest news: Journalism Online, the e-commerce start-up created to help publishers monetize their websites, now says that more than 1,000 publications, including both...