iPad News: The Daily Set to Launch in Two Weeks

Posted Jan 25, 2011 at 3:40PM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: iPad News Tags: apple, digital magazines, digital newspapers, ios, tablet

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Much later than originally expected, News Corp’s ambitious digital-only newspaper is getting ready to make its debut. News Corp executive James Murdoch told the DLD media conference in Munich, “It should be launching in the next two weeks, I hope.” That’s more hope than we’ve been hearing lately from the experimental project that hopes to convince readers to pay for online news. Last year, News Corp erected paywalls for the online editions of its Times of London and News of the World UK, locking out non-subscribers. Murdoch stated that the company would be releasing subscriber numbers within the next six weeks, adding, “Sure enough, our audience has contracted dramatically but the engagement of the audience is very strong, our advertisers are happy.” I suppose that means the advertisers are happy with a very small group of dedicated news junkies viewing their ads. I seriously question how well The Daily will go over in the US, where people are happy to pay for gaming and porn but expect their news to be free. For at least the last 15 years, Internet users have become spoiled by being able to read the news instantly, as it happens, on the screens of their computers or mobile devices. Good luck convincing them to pay for something they can free elsewhere.

And how are you supposed to keep that exclusive content behind the paywall when it only takes one blogger leaking a story for it to spread all over the ‘net? I admit there are a few sites I might be willing to pay $.99 a week for if they went pay-only, but just because I’ve been going to them for years and gotten hooked. Maybe The Daily can attract some paying customers if News Corp is willing to toss out enough freebies.

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