- Chapter 7 -
MOVE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE: GO MOBILE
INTRODUCTION
One of the major advantages of newspapers over other 20th century media was their portability. Whereas television and radio were stationary devices, newspapers could be picked up, folded and carried in readers’ pockets. Now, through 21st century mobile devices carried in the pockets of an enormous amount of people around the world, newspapers have the perfect means of transferring from the print to the digital world.
Mobile platforms: untapped potential
According to a Shaping the Future of the Newspaper (SFN) report released in July 2007 by the World Association of Newspapers, although online advertising continues to grow worldwide at a steep rate (30-50% annually), mobile phone penetration and Internet usage have begun to plateau. Which means that even with a spectacular growth rate – something considered unlikely by most of the top research firms, which all predict a significant slowdown (at least in the U.S.) in online advertising revenue growth in the coming years – publishers and editors can not expect online revenue to replace lost print revenue anytime soon.
The promise of e-paper: closer to reality?
The Internet has taken away both readers and ad money from print papers, but so far online ad revenue hasn’t been enough to make up for the losses. As a result, many industry analysts suggest that papers look to devices which use e-ink technology as possible alternatives to make the newspaper industry more profitable.
CONCLUSION Spiegel Online: how a print weekly became Germany’s leading online news source
Der Spiegel has been Germany’s primary weekly magazine since 1947. When it launched its website in 1994, it was among the world’s first major magazines to launch an online edition. Since then, Spiegel Online (Spon) became and remains the leading online news site in Germany, ahead of all daily newspaper and news broadcaster sites, boasting more than five million monthly unique users.
|
