Online presences for newspapers and magazines gain importance, but what will media consumption in the future look like?
Startup company Blendle shows where the path may lead. Instead of complete newspaper editions, this Dutch micropayment site offers individual articles, which can be individually compiled by the reader. Thus, readers only pay for articles that they deem relevant and interesting. And that’s not all: If a reader rates an article as "not worth reading,” they do not have to pay for it. Of the 10-80 cents which an article costs, approximately 70% go to the publishers, and 30% remain with Blendle.
The service has made its market entry in Germany in September 2015. 37 newspapers participate, including Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, the FAZ, and the SZ.
Alexander Klöpping, Co-Founder of Blendle, states that services of this kind are especially useful in the search for detailed background reports, which usually can’t be found in free newspapers.