According to the Emerging Trends and Technologies report, it is still far from certain what a valid online strategy is for a publication. Pfeiffer says that online versions of traditional publications may survive with the benefit of associated income streams; however, 'pure' content sites are likely to fold at an increasing rate unless they find novel ways of funding.
An online presence for established publications will increasingly be viewed as an 'add-on' - akin to a Sunday supplement - "something you’ve got to have, even if the ads don’t cover the whole cost".
The new online content model that has started to emerge, according to Pfeiffer, is one that offers services and acts as a resource. "The internet is not a replacement for current information delivery models but an extension of them: statistics show that most users of online newspapers visit them to get complementary information to something they have seen in the printed publication," the report states.
"Let's face it: in most cases, online content does not make money."
Advertising revenue is disappointing, paying subscription models are almost universally rejected and analysis shows that users spend far less time with an online publication than they do with the print version.
See Online newspaper business model is failing.
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