Firstly, the Wall Street Journal launched its long-awaited campaign for European readers with the re-launch of its European edition. With a reported £36 million in investment and more staff, the strategy is designed to boost subscriptions to its online edition.
Second came the launch this month of TheStreet.co.uk - the UK version of the highly acclaimed trailblazing online financial news site TheStreet.com based in the US.
Announcing its arrival TheStreet.co.uk said: 'There is a great deal of hype about how the internet will change the world. The truth is that in one aspect the internet can transform your life. Thanks to the Web, individuals can have the same kind of timely, accurate financial information and analysis as the professionals in the City.'
It commits to updating important stories several times a day and claims to have 'one of the most stringent policies in financial journalism about conflicts and disclosure by our reporters and outside contributors'.
Finally, Reuters announced its equally long-awaited plan to target the private investor with the launch of its strategy to spend £500 million on the internet in the next four years to place its services online. Reuters.com is to be turned into a portal where investors can access information products. Reuters has teamed up with the US wireless software group Aether to develop wireless data services to deliver information to mobiles. It has also forged an alliance with Multex.com to offer broker research online, trading tools and research to private investors over the internet.
The various developments means those in the market are following hugely different strategies to win attention. While the Financial Times is committed to a strategy of free content The Wall Street Journal European edition has parted from accepted internet wisdom and will be a paid-for subscription-only service.
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