End of Free Internet Content?

[707Corridor]

Just wanted to know what everyones thoughts were on this because I imagine a lot of us here are pretty internet savvy.

I'll be the first to say I only watch tv for sports now. Everything else gets dl'ed at night and I watch the day after. The article is about how all the media moguls got together to rethink the "myth" of free internet content.

It's funny when people think that people who believe there are only a few people in the world control everything are crazy. Then an article like this comes around.

Here's the link to the Bloomberg article :
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZeenjkAYFIE

"Diller Calls Free Web Content a ‘Myth, Joins Refrain"


By Brett Pulley and Andy Fixmer

July 24 (Bloomberg) -- Barry Diller, chairman and chief executive officer of IAC/InterActiveCorp, said Web users will have to pay for what they watch and use, joining the refrain of media moguls who say an era of free Internet content is ending.

The media and technology executive, whose company runs the Ask.com search engine and the Match.com dating service, said it’s “mythology” to view the Internet as a system of free communications.

“It is not free, and is not going to be,” Diller said today at the Fortune Brainstorm conference in Pasadena, California. In addition to IAC, he is chairman of Expedia Inc., the online travel service, and Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc.

Diller, 67, joined a group of media chiefs, from Liberty Media Corp.’s John Malone to Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger, who are challenging the accepted model that consumers pay for Internet access and then content is free. Diller predicted there will be three revenue streams: advertising, subscriptions and transactions.

Disney, the world’s biggest media company, is developing a subscription-based product for the Internet, Iger said on July 22 at the conference.

The Burbank, California-based company has opportunities to increase sales from the Web, Iger said. Online advertising can be improved, and marketers can target consumers by tracking their activities and interests. Subscription products are particularly promising to the company.

‘Willing to Pay’

“We have ample evidence both in traditional and new media that people are willing to pay for quality, to pay for choice and to pay for convenience,” Iger said. “And they are willing to pay for what they perceive as value.”

Companies from Disney to New York Times Co. are seeking ways to get more revenue from the Internet and counter the loss of traditional media subscribers and advertisers.

New York Times said in a survey of print subscribers this month that it’s considering a $5 monthly fee for access to its namesake newspaper’s Web site. The company also asked whether existing print subscribers would be willing to pay a discounted fee of $2.50 a month for access to the site. Nytimes.com, the most visited among newspapers’ sites, is currently free.

Yesterday, the newspaper publisher reported second-quarter profit almost doubled as the company cut jobs and wages to cope with a deepening advertising slump. Revenue declined 21 percent.

News Corp.

News Corp., publisher of the Wall Street Journal and owner of the Fox TV and film studios, plans to increase revenue at its Internet businesses by charging customers for news and entertainment, Jonathan Miller, the company’s chief digital officer, said yesterday at the conference.

Going forward, some companies will have material people are willing to pay for, and others won’t, said Miller, chief executive officer of News Corp.’s Digital Media Group.

Journalism will increasingly become a “paid model” online, said Miller. The Wall Street Journal already charges for online subscriptions.

In the quarter ended March 31, News Corp.’s interactive revenue declined 11 percent to $187 million, led by a 16 percent decline in advertising at sites including MySpace.

IAC, based in New York, fell 12 cents to $17.91 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. It has gained 14 percent this year. News Corp. Class A rose 2 cents to $9.89.

New York Times rose 16 cents to $6.66, while Disney fell 22 cents to $26.58, both on the New York Stock Exchange.

 

[whiterabbit9]

we already pay for internet access.. oh well

that would be really scary

 

[707Corridor]

Yeah but imagine having to pay to post on ICMag?? Thats what this article is more about.

 

[Verite]

Theres really nothing new at all here. People have been paying site premium costs since the beginning of the internet. Porn was the first to jump on that bandwagon and they made billions in profits and still do today.

The difference? At the time porn had exclusive content you couldnt get anywhere else. Exclusivity is what also keeps that money in the porn industry even though theres infinate more amounts of free porn than pay porn.

The problem with the NYPost model is they expect people are going to pay site premiums for content thats NOT exclusive. For the same news and coverage you can get in 1,000 different places for free. Thats not going to work at all.

 

[707Corridor]

Again. You speak of the internet now.

This meeting is about the what the internet is going to become.

The media moguls are some of the most influential people in Govt. Their lobby power in govt is unprecedented. They get what they want. If they want the internet to cost money they will make it so.

Its very easy to see some good ol legislation get passed that will make the internet closed. Effectively closing all of your "1,000 different places" that were once free.

Can just anyone open a business? No

You need permits, insurance, licenses. etc.

Remember Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and plenty of other companies make software for the Chinese govt to keep a stronghold on what you can see on the internet once your in China. This is the same technology "they" would use to close access to the internet to to the common person and get rid of the free websites.

We are already hearing how Bloggers on the internet have to be held accountable for what they write.

Want an easier example. Can you start your own radio station in the USA without the FCC licenses and permits? Answer is no. You can but you get shut down. The internet is even easier to shut down.

I like this conversation. But it seems some people are over looking how easy it would be for everything on the internet to be pay per view.

 

[kmk420kali]

In an honest world...yeah-- But in Reality...not so much--
You can regulate and charge for whatever you want, but if someone else puts it up for free...you may not get so much--
Would I pay to come here?? No--
Would I pay to go to any of the many other places I frequent?? No--
Why would I?? They are free, and though I am not just, "Too Cheap" to pay...I would not...because they are not offering a Service that I would compensate for-- (Keep in mind, I am not saying Gypsy should not make $$...I am sure he is, tho prolly not what he should-- But...just like TV...it should come from Advertisers...not from Viewers--)

 

[Mr. Tony]

All it takes is some nice campaign contributions and what ever legislation they want passed, is pretty much passed.

 

[JWH-018]

Its very easy to see some good ol legislation get passed that will make the internet closed. Effectively closing all of your "1,000 different places" that were once free.

Legislation where? That's one of the empowering things about the Internet. Don't like the laws in your home country? There are hundreds of other venues where you can host. Icmag is a great example of that very principle.

The content providers you listed like google, yahoo and msn are actually some of the biggest advocates of an open internet and net neutrality. None of them would stand for some sort of legislative compulsion to charge for content.

People in china have dozens of options to evade the national firewalls and do all the time. When iran blocked social networking leading up to and after the election the activists simply fired up their VPNs. Many folks world wide trick hulu into showing them their US only content. Ditto for non UK folks and the BBC. The list goes on. The technology is essentially impossible to control.

The genie was let out of the bottle a long time ago. It's never going back in.

 

[Johnny Rotten]

http://digg.com/tech_news/AT_T_blocks_4chan

This is gonna be big and we really need anyone here who cares about this site and uses AT&T to call and threaten to cancel your account. This site could easily be next...censorship is a slippery slope.

 

[steppinRazor]

Yeah but imagine having to pay to post on ICMag?? Thats what this article is more about.

I would if i could right now, and many do.

bout paying for access to all sites beyond paying your ISP, thats complete shit!! The whole concept was inevitable but still complete shit

 

[McSnappler]

This is all about media companies looking to stop the the slide. The NY Times and other publications have enough following and kudos that a certain percentage will pay the subscription - millions of others worldwide wont, but that's not really the point. The point is they need to reclaim some of the profit they have lost from traditional advertising revenue, which is fine by me, and should be fine by others, if they want to continue being able to buy the NY Times on their way to work in the morning, or get their kids the latest Disney movie for Christmas, etc.

 

[zoidb3rg]

This is bullshit, just another way of people fucking us to make themselves lots of money.

 

[boroboro]

Again. You speak of the internet now.

[snip]
This meeting is about the what the internet is going to become.

Can just anyone open a business? No

You need permits, insurance, licenses. etc.
[snip]

Again, you speak of doing things legally. I would wager that there are a few people here operating businesses without permits and licenses.

We may be driven underground a bit as attitudes towards free speech wax and wane, but I don't think we'll disappear.

 

[#1cheesebuds]

I would never go to the internet ever agen if I had to pay to visit any websites.

I agree with what these ppl said all the way.

Would I pay to come here?? No
Would I pay to go to any of the many other places I frequent?? No

bout paying for access to all sites beyond paying your ISP, thats complete BULLshit!! The whole concept was inevitable but still complete shit

This is bullshit, just another way of people fucking us to make themselves lots of money.

If the gov wants to charg ppl for every website they go to then Ill drop my internet for ever and ever.

 

[Skip]

I certainly hope the MSM all start to charge for content!

They're thinking that by all of them agreeing to charge, we'll be forced to pay for their content.

Let them put those final nails in their own coffins!

That is what will happen, because for every big old media company that does charge, a hundred startups will popup to offer similar content for free. Many of them are already there, but relatively invisible because of the domination of these old media dinosaurs!

Their extinction is coming soon, and by keeping the internet FREE we will see to it!

The old monopoly on information is cracking and thru every crack seeps the light of truth.

When Humpty Murdock falls, all the elite's warhorses and all its bought and paid for men, won't be able to put ol' Murdock back together again!

 

[WoW maannnn]

MOVING TO A TROP-ICAL ISLAND SOUNDS GOOD RIGHT NOW

 

[Verite]

Again. You speak of the internet now.

This meeting is about the what the internet is going to become.

The media moguls are some of the most influential people in Govt. Their lobby power in govt is unprecedented. They get what they want. If they want the internet to cost money they will make it so.

Its very easy to see some good ol legislation get passed that will make the internet closed. Effectively closing all of your "1,000 different places" that were once free.

Can just anyone open a business? No

You need permits, insurance, licenses. etc.

Remember Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and plenty of other companies make software for the Chinese govt to keep a stronghold on what you can see on the internet once your in China. This is the same technology "they" would use to close access to the internet to to the common person and get rid of the free websites.

We are already hearing how Bloggers on the internet have to be held accountable for what they write.

Want an easier example. Can you start your own radio station in the USA without the FCC licenses and permits? Answer is no. You can but you get shut down. The internet is even easier to shut down.

I like this conversation. But it seems some people are over looking how easy it would be for everything on the internet to be pay per view.

And if the world worked as easy as you saying something and it comes true, then you would rule the world.

You say 'stuff' but yet you offer no model or precedent or any kind of proof that any of that 'stuff' is even up for legitimate legislation. Or if that kind of legislation is even possible in the first place. [ Which its not. ]

Your easy examples only prove they dont have much to bolster your position. Why do you need FCC license and permits to run a radio station? Because you have to operate at certain frequencies and amplitude so you arent interfering with other open air broadcasts. And thats the reason ILLEGAL radio stations are shut down.

Please explain " The internet is even easier to shut down. " When has the entire internet ever been shut down? Never in my knowlegde.

" Bloggers held accountable for what they write? " Slander and libel laws have been around and enforced for better part of a century of written print. You just hearing about it is the only thing new.

Contrary to what you might think China has every right to make decisions on how it uses the internet just like every other country has its own rules on how its country uses the internet. To think that any one country is going to suddenly change the internet for everyone to something as rediculous pay-per-view only is chicken-little-sky-is-falling fantasy based on nothing substantial.

Media people influential in govt? Unprecedented lobby power? Not from where I sit. If you can name me anything the US media has recently pressured the govt to do and succeded Im all ears.

How easy would it be to turn the whole internet into pay per view?

As easy as suspending ones entire reality.

 

[707Corridor]

You dont have to come out some vehemently Verite. I'm just throwing ideas out there because I thought process is that since we are all on the internet here on ICmag it would be interesting to hear what people might think now that the big media moguls are entering the conversation on the current internet model.

Plus i never never said it was going to happen suddenly. So I would liek to make that clear. I understand that MAYBE it came out like that. I am sure I never said it would change suddenly nor am I that stupid to think that would happen. I'm slightly offended that you think that. lol

One thing is for sure. the computer savvy who use Ubuntu or Linux we'll probably make sure we always have free internet content.

As for the internet being shutdown. I'm pretty sure its possible. But your probably right on it being too big to even be shut down.

Plus since I don't know where you sit I cant comment on what you see. I know where from where I sit I see the media as merely a fourth arm of the govt. This is true that it doesnt mean that they have unprecedented lobbying power. I would suggest you take a look again at all the industries in the US. You will find the leaders of the media are some of the biggest contributers to political campaigns. Not the media itself. Do I make sense? I sometimes get excited and type and dont filter what I type in order to process my ideas more. And at the end it sometimes I change my mind.

" Bloggers held accountable for what they write? " Slander and libel laws have been around and enforced for better part of a century of written print. You just hearing about it is the only thing new."

The cyber bullying act HR 6123. Look it up I'm sure you've heard of it. If not its pretty interesting. This is what i was referring to with bloggers. This is little different then slander/libel.

 

[Verite]

Sorry you misinterpret my vehement for correcting your assertion of what you think is going to happen to the internet based on what you know of it.

What " big media moguls are 'entering' what conversations on " what current models of the internet " ?? I have no idea what you are talking about here. You basically took a simple discussion about some websites looking to charge for exclusive content, a concept as old as the internet is and you chicken-littled the whole thing into " End of Free Internet Content " for the entire world with some crazy rational that media moguls control all the govts and will get whatever they want. Sorry if I rained on your sky-is-falling parade.

The first thing a computer savy person is going to tell you besides that Ubuntu and Linux are basically the same thing is that PC operating systems have nothing to do with the flow of traffic on the internet. Internet traffic is controlled by routers and DNS. The routers work the IP addy #'s and Domain Name Servers are the things that translate the numbers into www. thisplace. com

Media making contributions to politics? Nothing new there and still they dont exert any type of control over the govt. If you know of something the media controls in the govt please enlighten me.

The cyber bullying act HR 6123. Look it up I'm sure you've heard of it. If not its pretty interesting. This is what i was referring to with bloggers. This is little different then slander/libel.

What would be really interesting is bloggers being held accountable with a bill introduced over a year ago thats not even made it passed the first steps to being an actual law one can be held accountable for.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h6123/show

I probably would have been less vehement had you mentioned the name of the organization that governs the internet and known how many different countries they come from, how they are chosen, what their mission is, and how little influence the media or any single govt actually has on them. Until then you may want to do a little research on ICANN.