Print and online deals may get readers to pay

The paidContent:UK/Harris Interactive poll which this week has shown how resistant most consumers are to charging for online newspapers has ended on a more optimistic note for publishers.
paidContent:UK says: "One possible hope that arises on our final day of results is to consider print and online in tandem. While only five percent of people who read a news site at least once a month told us they would pay for online access, when you throw in a free or discounted subscription to the printed paper, that rises to a combined 48 percent.
"While the proportion of respondents who said they would still not pay remains a majority, it’s a slight one - it seems the printed edition could leverage online subscriptions; not just among existing readers of the paper, but also among those who don’t already buy it.
"The message is loud and clear - people continue to believe that touchable products command tangible economic value but, divorced from physicality and its associated costs, digital content should manifest itself cheaper."