The End (of Paid Content) is Near

When the New York Times announced that it will stop charging for content, and with strong rumors that the Wall Street Journal will do the same, I had to raise my arms in exaltation: all the David Brooks I can read.

Needless to say, this is also a good sign that advertising revenue on the internet has reached maturity even among the most grey of publications. To us here at Mad Crowd Media, that certainly strengthens the argument that advertising budgets can traverse the expensive and poorly segmented mass media channels and get results from the targeted offerings our network can deliver.

Furthermore, I think it is fodder for all the champions and creators of channel agnostic media planning. New media channels should be on their list, as their target market shifts to these channels. As anecdotal as it seems, the New York Times makes a strong statement for all online publishers: content is best served free. And advertising pays to keep it that way.