Are Netflix and Spotify Subscribers More Likely to Pay for Online News? Comparative Analysis of Data from Six Countries

Abstract

As news publishers search for business models that can sustain professional journalism, other online media companies (eg, Netflix and Spotify) have been remarkably successful at attracting subscribers. One possible consequence is that subscribers to these services will also be more willing to pay for online news because they have become used to the idea of paying for online media. Alternatively, it could be that people who pay for online media feel they have less time and money to spend on online news. Using survey data from six countries, we found (1) a positive individual-level association between paying for any form of online media (eg, films, music, books, software, and premium information access) and paying for online news and (2) a positive association between paying for entertainment media specifically and paying for online news.