The Content Matrix: Tracking Subscription-based Online Content

The Content Matrix enables users to track and analyze subscription-based online content by a wide variety of criteria. The current edition covers 246 different properties/services with up to 25 different data points and another six columns of comments and snapshot descriptions for each. Delivered in a flexible Microsoft Excel (.xls) format, the Matrix enables users to quickly and easily view, filter, manipulate and export its data in whatever manner they wish.

The Content Matrix can be used to analyze patterns or trends in pricing, use of free trials, availability of free content, user registration requirements, and the placement of advertising in free and subscriber areas. Information is also provided on subscription deliverables, including the use of text-based, video and audio content; delivery of content by web, email and for wireless devices; availability of archives; and frequency of publication or updating.

A 33-page companion presentation (in Adobe Acrobat PDF format) provides highlights in graphical form on subscription service pricing, delivery methods, update frequency and several other key topics. The PDF companion will be emailed separately from the Excel Spreadsheet.

The Content Matrix covers subscription properties or services produced by a variety of publishers, including household names such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal as well as niche publishers like Pro Football News & Injury Report, Swell, and Paperloop. A few more examples of publishers covered in the current edition include:

Accuweather Inc.
Britannica.com
Classmates Online, Inc.
Financial Times Ltd.
Hoovers, Inc.
INT Media Group, Inc.
Listen.com
MLB Advanced Media, LP (Major League Baseball)
Rivals.com
Sony Online Entertainment, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Yahoo! Inc.
...and more than 100 others

A majority of the properties/services (68%) in the current edition are delivered exclusively via the Internet while 10% supplement hardcopy/offline publications and 22% are published as an alternative to a hardcopy/offline publication. One-half (57%) target consumers exclusively, 12% are targeted principally to business users and 31% are designed for both consumers and business users.

The Content Matrix database itself is structured into two Excel worksheets covering 463 properties/services published by 205 publishers with up to 39 data points per property/service. A "Subscription Services" sheet provides information on deliverables and pricing for each property/service. A "Content Descriptions" sheet provides brief descriptions of the subject matter covered by each property/service and information on the availability of free content and placement of advertising. Most columns in each sheet enable users to filter the entries by either one criteria or by a more complex multi-variable criteria using simple drop-down menus. The filtering can also be applied simultaneously across multiple columns.