Abstract

In view of the perpetual search for a new and sustainable online business models for the newspapers after several failed experiments, many newspapers adopted the freemium principle which suggests that free promotes attraction for the fee. This study examined the digital contents of Nigerian newspapers online with a view to determining to what extent the newspapers have implemented the freemium principle and what impact this has had on the digital contents of Nigerian newspaper websites. Using the content analysis method, the study discovered that 56% of the digital contents of the newspapers’ websites were offered free in tune with freemium, while 44% of the digital contents were charged for.

Key Words:  Freemium, Free, Newspapers, Newspaper Contents, Web

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*Dr. Isiaka Zubair Aliagan, Ph.D. is a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Kwara State University, Malete, Kwara State, Nigeria.

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 8, No. 1,  April 2016, 1 – 14