News Corp executive argues for dual revenue streams

News Corporation executive claims paywalls and free models can “co-exist”.

Jonathan Miller, head of digital media at the Rupert Murdoch-owned group, said the media industry needs to start charging for content by introducing subscription models for access to news websites.

Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit, Miller said: “The choice between paywall or free is not mutually exclusive. They can co-exist based on quality of content and geography.  Dual revenue streams got lost in the early days of the internet.”

Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corp, has consistently argued that the industry needs to move to a paid-for model to generate revenue from online.  He plans to introduce paywalls around news content on all his websites, including thesun.co.uk and timesonline.co.uk, later this year.

Miller’s comments echo the views of Publicis chief Maurice Levy, who told delegates that newspapers need to find a balance between free and paid-for online content in order to survive the digital age.

“I think media giving away their content is not a good service to themselves. It’s a shame, a pity,” Levy said.  “Analogue media has to find a new model.  Content has a lot of value and it has to be valued reasonably.”