Some interesting research by Simon-Kucher & Partners suggests that 90% of online content will be held behind a paywall in three years’ time. It’s unlikely that we will see such a dramatic move from trade press, as much of their content is generated by manufacturers and service providers for promotional reasons: they don’t want to limit their audience. But, if mainstream media does move to a paywall model, then I’m sure we will see some of the higher-quality trade press experimenting with paid subscriptions.
