[ClickZ] Free or Fee in Spain, Revisited

Vin Crosbie revisits how major Spanish newspapers are doing online about one year after transitioning to paid sites:

"Spain still has no clear winner among these different online business models. Though outcomes aren't clear yet, some trends are developing. El Pais' switch to mostly paid content has probably given it the greatest overall revenue, adding its new online subscriptions to its probably marginally declined online advertising revenue. Meanwhile, the free El Mundo site has steadily increased its market share, probably at the expense of El Pais but probably without as much immediate revenue.

Is fatter paid revenue from a narrower audience better than thinner ad revenue from a broader free audience? That's the competition between these two newspaper sites. Meanwhile, La Vanguardia chose a middle road, offering free but registered access, while using e-mail advertising to increase revenue."