The air is rich with theories as to next steps for the Wall St Journal, now that it’s under Murdoch control. Not least, many are wondering if it should ditch its subcriber model, and let its stories go free-to-air.
The noise has also promted others to wonder on the effect on FT.com. From PaidContent:
Also, the subscriber numbers for FT.com are minuscule, relatively: “FT.com currently has 100k online subscribers (vs. c900k for WSJ.com) paying GBP 6 per month.
Even assuming a worst case scenario where all these subscribers were lost, there would only be a GBP 7 million impact, suggesting only 1 percent downside risk to group profits.
Separately we believe that the FT remains a trophy asset and that Pearson would be able to crystallise significant value, should they decide to sell.”
paidContent.org: If WSJ.com Went Free: Effect on FT and FT.com; CEO Ridding Allays Concerns
Tags: Web Business
