Autosport publisher Rob Aherne is all for paid content, claiming that publishers that want to generate meaningful revenue need to go beyond just the typical advertising and sponsored content model.
I would say that paid content has been our salvation in terms of a business model. Operating as Autosport does – sending journalists and photographers to motorsport events around the world in the interests of quality coverage – incurs considerable cost that many of our rivals don’t have to bear. If we want to continue to set the news agenda and make quality journalism our watchword (and I can assure you that we do), we have to find sources of revenue that go beyond the advertising and sponsorship model. Ultimately I believe that our readers appreciate quality journalism, understand what it takes to achieve it and at least some are prepared to pay to help us carry on producing it, and that principle has driven the evolution of our paid-content strategy.
Click here to read the entire story
More in Media
The Rundown: Google has drawn its AI payment lines — and publishers’ leverage is narrow
For publishers trying to navigate AI licensing, the message was blunt: Google is willing to pay for access, but not for training – and it remains unwilling to define AI Overviews as a compensable use of journalism.
Media Briefing: Google’s latest core update a reminder that pageviews can’t remain the primary metric
Google’s latest core update signals pageviews can no longer be the primary metric, favoring intent-solving publishers over scale.
After an oversaturation of AI-generated content, creators’ authenticity and ‘messiness’ are in high demand
Content creators and brand marketing specialists on how 2026 will be the year creator authenticity becomes even more crucial in the face of rampant AI-generated “slop” flooding social media platforms.