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“Spotify for news”? : user perception of subscription-based content platforms for news media
Publikationstyp
Journal Article
Date Issued
2023-03-01
Sprache
English
Journal
Volume
4
Issue
1
Start Page
1
End Page
15
Citation
Journalism and Media 4 (1): 1-15 (2023)
Publisher DOI
Scopus ID
Subscription-based news platforms (such as “Apple News+” or “Readly”) that bundle content from different publishers into one comprehensive package and offer it to media users at a fixed monthly rate are a new way of accessing and consuming digital journalism. These services have received little attention in journalism studies, although they differ greatly from traditional media products and distribution channels. This article empirically investigates the perception of journalism platforms based on eight qualitative focus group discussions with 55 German news consumers. Results show that the central characteristics these platforms should fulfill in order to attract users are strikingly similar to the characteristics of media platforms from the music and video industries, in particular regarding price points, contract features, and modes of usage. Against this background, the potential and perspectives of a subscription-based news platform for journalism’s societal role are discussed.
Subjects
audience studies
content platforms
journalism products
qualitatative focus group discussions
user perception
DDC Class
020: Library and Information Sciences
070: Journalism and Publishing