USA Today Regrets its iPhone app is Free & is "Stunned" By its Growth
USA Today’s publisher, David Hunke, is clearly aware of the emerging opportunity smart phones and e-readers present print publication companies like his. He’s also willing to continue experimenting with paid content models online — a far more daunting prospect.
Hunke announced this week that, starting in August, USA Today will start charging $10/month for a new e-edition of the national newspaper. This move appears designed to take on the Wall Street Journal, which is the only other prominent daily currently charging a subscription fee for access to its entire online edition.
The Journal, in turn, recently challenged the Gannett flagship’s hold on the business traveler market by announcing a deal with Hyatt Hotels. “The Wall Street Journal is very serious competition to us,” said Hunke.
(In this context, it’s worth noting that in April, Marriott announced it would no longer deliver newspapers to its guests’ rooms automatically, but would only do so upon request. There’s probably a bit of a rivalry between hoteliers going on here, as well.)
Outside of the battles to charge for online content and maintain a hold on the hotel market is the looming challenge of how to exploit the massive mobile opportunity for new revenue streams. Hunke said he now regrets launching a free app for the iPhone — “We were stunned by how quickly that spread,” he stated.
The company is exploring additional opportunities across a range of mobile platforms. For additional information, I’d recommend Jennifer Saba’s excellent piece at Editor & Publisher.
In addition to serving as a BNET Media analyst/blogger, David Weir is a veteran journalist and the author of several books. Weir is a co-founder and vice-president of the Center for Investigative Reporting, as well as an editorial board member of The Nation.
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