WAN 2008: Paid-for online news is possible, says Google

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Paid-for news online is a credible business model, Google UK’s vice president told delegates at the World Editors Forum today.

Nikesh Arora, president of EMEA operations and vice president of Google UK, said the internet had simply moved offline business models and behaviours online and this could be extended to the news publishing industry.

Despite a proliferation of news content and sources online, the market can still be monetised, he said.

"Business models on the web are going to be no different from the models you have in publishing today.

"There's a degree of commoditisation of articles on the web and when that happens price falls.

"How do you create that unique content which is going to create monetisation? You are going to have to build a bigger audience to achieve that level of monetisation."

Arora reiterated that Google was not looking to move into content creation, but would continue to work with publishers to improve ‘discoverability’ of their content online.

"We see ourselves as part of an ecosystem. We see ourselves as ensuring people’s access to information and content. We are not in the business of creating content," he said.