Universidade De Santiago De Compostela
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DEPARTAMENTO DE CIENCIAS DA COMUNICACIÓN UNIVERSIDADE DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA FACULTADE DE CIENCIAS DA COMUNICACIÓN Estratexias de pago por contidos e modelos de negocio da prensa dixital. Análise de caso do Financial Times, The Times e El Mundo en Orbyt Paid content strategies and business models of online newspapers. Case analysis of Financial Times, The Times and El Mundo in Orbyt Manuel Goyanes Martínez TESE DE DOUTORAMENTO presentada en DEPARTAMENTO DE CIENCIAS DA COMUNICACIÓN Director: Francisco Campos Freire Santiago de Compostela, 2013 PRESENTACIÓN Cal é o futuro da prensa, entendida coma un soporte de información e un medio de comunicación profesional organizado mediante unha estrutura empresarial e comercial? Esta é unha pregunta que tanto os profesionais da industria como os académicos se formulan dende a popularización de Internet como xanela de consumo informativo. No epicentro da cuestión está a revisión, reformulación ou fortalecemento do modelo de negocio, como base para o sostemento da organización e para a viabilidade do xornalismo de calidade no espazo dixital. Precisamente, achegar un pouco de luz sobre ese debate é un dos principais obxectivos da presente tese. Pero non o único. A través da análise en profundidade dos modelos de tres xornais (The Times, Financial Times e El Mundo en Orbyt), con estratexias de pago por contidos, tentamos contribuír de modo teórico e práctico á literatura existente. A gratuidade informativa a través do sistema de ingresos publicitario amosouse relativamente deficiente na maior parte de casos, polo que é necesario que a industria inicie a exploración e ensaio de novos modelos de negocio baseados na combinación do pago do lector e no recurso publicitario. Os adxectivos “exploración” e “ensaio” non foron escolleitos ao azar. Ambos os conceptos representan nitidamente a superación da reticencia ós cambios da industria xornalística e a procura da innovación. Precisamente, a presente tese formula catro condutores de valor (experimentación, lock-in, relación e atracción) imprescindibles para a viabilidade das estratexias de pago por contidos, sendo a experimentación (a través de novos produtos, servizos, procesos, etc.) un dos fundamentais. A principal contribución teórica preséntase en relación á necesidade de executar unha profunda orientación ó mercado no caso da implementación de estratexias de pago por contidos. A presente tese desenvolve un novo espazo teórico no que a comprensión das demandas e necesidades (presentes e futuras) dos consumidores é primordial para o rendemento do negocio. Deste modo, presentamos unha nova aproximación ás proposicións de valor dos xornais, onde a produción (contidos) se alía coas complementariedades (servizos) á hora da creación do produto prensa en formato dixital. As firmas do futuro da industria xornalística non serán organizacións só enfocadas ao contido, senón (tamén) aos servizos exclusivos que presten. - 7 - AGRADECEMENTOS Os agradecementos son case outra tese, e non precisamente das doadas. Non me gustaría esquecerme de ninguén, pero canto máis penso a quen darlle as grazas pola súa xenerosa axuda durante este longo percorrido, máis tempo perdo á hora de adiantar a defensa da mesma. Por este motivo, tentarei ser conciso e, sobre todo, lembrarme das persoas que sempre estiveron aí. En primeiro lugar, quero deixar constancia do meu sincero e eterno agradecemento ao Dr. Francisco Campos Freire, sen cuxa axuda e apoio dificilmente podería culminar este proxecto. Os seus coñecementos reflíctense nesta tese, pero tamén en min mesmo como persoa e futuro investigador. As súas puntualizacións, positivas ou negativas, sempre foron tomadas en conta. Debo agradecer publicamente dende estas liñas ao Dr. Xosé Pereira, así como ao propio Dr. Francisco Campos, por abrirme a porta do mundo da investigación académica no seo do grupo Novos Medios. Malia que a crise económica nos separou, espero e desexo volver algún día cando a recesión remate e volvamos ó crecemento. Isto suporá uns anos no estranxeiro, pero serán recompensados a través de novos coñecementos e alianzas académicas. Non me gustaría esquecerme “dos outros”, é dicir, aqueles que dalgún modo contribuíron na miña formación e benestar diario. Ao Dr. Carlos Toural, Dr. Moisés Limia, Dra. Ana López, Dr. Xosé López, Dr. Xosé Soengas, Dr. Xaime Fandiño, e os doutorandos Carlos Regueira, Teresa de la Hera e Alba Silva, simplemente grazas. Foi un pracer compartir as mañás e aprender de vós a diario. Asemade quero agradecer ao Dr. Rolf A. Lündin, director do MMTC de Jönköping, e a Dra. María Michalis, da Universidade de Westminster, o seu apoio incondicional durante as miñas estancias no estranxeiro. Do mesmo modo, desexo expresar o meu recoñecemento a Carlos Pío pola súa axuda na análise estatística. Finalmente, quero agradecerlles ós meus pais, avoa, irmá e, sobre todo, a Alba Salgado a súa paciencia, apoio e cariño recibidos durante todo este proceso. Sei que estou en débeda. - 9 - ABSTRACT The present doctoral thesis analyzes the paid content strategies and business models of the online journalism, focusing particularly on three cases (Financial Times, The Times, and El Mundo in Orbyt). The hypothesis from which the research stems is that all the studied organizations implement market orientation strategies. Following three constructs that have been previously theorized about in literature (consumer orientation, competitor orientation and journalist value capture) the hypothesis is empirically demonstrated to be positive for the three cases. On the other hand, the fundamental object of this research is that of finding out about the management dynamics of the studied organizations, as well as determining the main value drivers of the online journalism business models with paid content strategies. The applied theoretical framework combines media economics studies with the critical thinking of both the political economy of communication and the studies on the cultural industries. Thus, theories, concepts and economic principles are applied to study the microeconomic (media economics) and macroeconomic (political economy of communication) aspects of the media industry. Under this approach, the communicative actors’ performance is subjected to factors of technological, economic and political nature and not exclusively to one of these fields. The studied theoretical approach demands an in-depth review of the terms and concepts resulting from management studies, but also from the journalism institute. From the former, the present thesis examines the differences between strategy, business model and tactic. It also includes a wide range of literature on the value creation and value capture concepts, with a particular focus on explaining market orientation strategies. On the other hand, we cannot forget that this thesis is based on the studies of online journalism. Thus, a fair amount of the concepts used belong to this field. The thesis begins with a theoretical approach to the concept of online journalism. A varied literature on the concept (both Spanish and international) is presented to subsequently analyze the crisis in the journalism industry from both an economic (crisis) and technological (Internet as disruptive innovation) point of view. Finally, the most relevant arguments about the business models implemented by the online journalism are included, highlighting the fundamental differences. - 11 - The study of the paid content strategies and online journalism business models is relatively recent. The journalism academia started showing an interest in the subject at the beginning of this century, with the diffusion and popularization of the Internet. It is not until 2008 that it becomes a popular subject in scientific journals about journalism, media management and media economics. In 2009, the media were already experiencing a double crisis that would only deepen later on. On one hand, investment in advertising and traditional consumption dropped as a result of the financial situation. On the other hand, the media had to face the consequences of the changing habits in the demand for information. Since the popularization of the Internet as a to these days, the problem is still the same: the loss of income coming from traditional activity is not compensated by the new income generated digitally. Thus, we are witnessing a crisis of the business model and monetizing audience. This inability to monetize the digital audience constant growth is due to an excessive dependence on advertising. This is simply because the thousands of readers that printed newspapers lose every month paid for the information, whereas the thousands that are being earned digitally have a free access to it without a previous register which would ensure a true market segmentation. This turns the journalism companies into failed business. What is the formula, the new monetizing system that in line with the income coming from advertising would allow a journalistic production? It is clear that the discussions taking place within the industry are focusing particularly on the reader paying a fee through different business models. Examples are The Times’ strict paywall, or other mixed models combining free and non-free contents, such as the metered model used by Financial Times and New York Times, or Wall Street Journal’s freemium business model. Similarly, innovative offers such as El Mundo’s Orbyt reflect the industry efforts to capitalize the printed product by adapting it to the digital resources. Numerous studies have highlighted