Inochi Ventures

The End of ‘Free’?

There is a growing – nay, inexorable – movement towards the school of thought that ‘free’ content is not a sustainable business model. Rupert Murdoch is perhaps the biggest evangelist – the FT has proved that online subscription models can work in the UK. The screening of the forthcoming England v Ukraine game on a number of News International sites is further evidence the company is marching towards a paid model. Delegates at the recent AOP Digital Publishing Summit were told the same thing. It’s a matter of time – and the real winners will be those who make the best go of it. In ten years time it will be bizarre to look back on a time when we could read anything without paying.