AppleInsider | NYT execs struggle over iPad edition subscription pricing – rumor.
Here’s an interesting rumor about debates over the electronic subscription model at the Times. Most interestingly:
The news follows another recent report that some publishers are skeptical of Apple’s iPad business model, which sees the company giving 70 percent of revenue to content providers, but not sharing any personal information about subscribers. Those in the publishing world, particularly in newspapers, view that information — called “their most valuable asset” — as crucial for selling advertising.
This is an important distinction between print and digital. Newspapers know their audience well enough to tell advertisers about the demographics of their readers. This is why you see all of the “high end” ads in the Times. If they don’t have access to this information, it could have grave implications for the funding model of free and low-cost online journalism.