A year is a long time in the media industry. Twelve months ago this week Rupert Murdoch's News International unveiled plans to put the Times and Sunday Times behind a £1-a-day paywall, becoming the first British mainstream national titles to do so.
Speaking at MediaGuardian's Changing Media Summit, News International commercial director Paul Hayes remained convinced that the paid-for model is the future. He declined, however, to reveal how many people were paying for the publisher's content.
"I believe that if want you want to output quality journalism you've got to sustain it by being profitable," Hayes said. "But that doesn't mean that's for everyone else or they will fail. Can both philosophies coexist profitably? If they can, great. To learn from each other is the biggest challenge."
It was also this week last year that Apple's iPad went on sale in the UK. Last month Murdoch launched the iPad-only app publication the Daily. Steve Jobs's market-leading money-making environment suits the media mogul's plans, Hayes added.
"The web is not the culmination of the digital revolution. Back 12 months ago very few people had heard of apps – we are excited about the app because it comes in a primarily paid-for environment," he said. "In this time we've gone from saying Google is stealing our content to Apple is stealing our revenue."
News International charges what it thinks its journalism is worth, Hayes said, adding that the Guardian – which publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk and charges £2.99 for its iPhone app – is "worth more than that".
"The interesting thing is how you value your content. We believe in the quality of our journalism to such an extent that it's worth paying for," he said.
"People will pay for deep analysis and informed content, that is not the same as most bloggers in the blogosphere. That's the only way you can continue to have journalism."
