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Internet 'significant in 14 or 15 years time' until then the paper makes the money, claims Sun editor

Posted: 16/01/08 By: Oliver Luft

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The editor of The Sun newspaper told a Lords' Committee the internet edition can't yet replicate the economic operations of the newspaper.

Giving evidence to the Lord's Committee on Media Ownership and the News, Rebekah Wade said that The Sun's revenue from the internet would only become significant in '14 to 15 years time'.

(Read Wade's comments about her relationship with Rupert Murdoch here)

Staggering growth of online operations did not mean that much, she added, as growth was from a base of nil and revenue from the newspaper's daily print sales of nearly three million remained most important economically.

However, she added, that may change in the coming years as internet operations developed.

"We have a set of projections [for internet development] and sets of targets that we want to achieve, and so far we are achieving them.

"Long-term I can't be detailed and say this percentage will come from the internet but it will become significant in 14 to 15 years time. Right now the newspaper makes the money."

Asked by the Committee about an aging print readership Wade said that the aim of the paper was to bring younger readers to The Sun brand through its digital operations.

"Out of the 300,000 daily unique users [on Sun Online] 70 per cent will be under 35. It's very different from the newspaper, online we are bringing young readers to the Sun world. This is our strategy," she said.

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