I’m heading out to the Frontline Club tomorrow night in London to feature on the panel discussion. It’s topic: Will Apple save the news business? Apps, iPads, paywalls and how to make money from news.
Here’s the overview of the event:
There’s no shortage of news around at the moment, but is anyone making anyone any money from it?
As the print-based media come to terms with a shrinking advertising market and a promiscuous digital audience, many are looking to high-end devices such as Apple’s iPhone and iPad, which touches down in Britain on May 28, as a way to charge readers.
But is Apple’s tightly controlled app economy really the great hope that newspaper and magazine publishers hope it is, or just another false dawn?
At the same time, Rupert Murdoch’s Times and Sunday Times are about to launch paid-for premium websites featuring exclusive text and video content any day now — yet consumer research has consistently shown that readers are reluctant to cough up for web news. Will Murdoch have the last laugh?
With an expert panel we investigate the prospects for news publishers to recoup revenue lost to the digital revolution. Panelists include:
* Special guest Gurtej Sandhu, digital director of The Times, which this month will (re)launch two paid-for, paywalled sites, thetimes.co.uk and thesundaytimes.co.uk.
* Douglas McCabe from Enders Analysis, an expert in online publishing, new media business models and the impact of new media on existing markets,
* Ewan MacLeod, founder and editor of Mobile Industry Review and entrepreneur
* Marybeth Christie, head of product management at FT.com,
* Chaired by Steve Hewlett, journalist, consultant and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Media ShowThis event is in partnership with the BBC College of Journalism.
Tickets are a positively welcoming £10 each — and the event is being held at the Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, London W2 1QJ.
Come along!
I will need to remember to bring my iPad…