The Content Matrix: Tracking Subscription-based Online Content

Published by: Intermarket Group

Published: Jun. 28, 2002 - 24 Pages

Table of Contents

• Subscription property/service
  
• Publisher
  
• Subscription Deliverables:
  
  • Subscriber-only website
    
  • E-mail alerts and/or newsletters
    
  • Wireless content
    
  • Subscriber-only archive/databases
    
  • Archive- or database-related comments
  
  
  
• Format of Subscription Content
  
  • Text
    
  • Streaming/downloadable audio
    
  • Streaming/downloadable video
  
  
  
• Publication frequency
  
• Target Audience
  
• Subscription terms and pricing (5 separate columns)
  
• Availability of free trials
  
• Free trial comments
  
• Availability of hardcopy
  
• Website URL
  
• Comments
  
• ...plus 7 additional columns

Worksheet 2 - Content Descriptions

Selected Columns:

• Subscription property/service
  
• Publisher
  
• Snapshot description of subscription content
  
• Availability of Free Content
  
  • Website
    
  • E-mail newsletter(s)
    
  • Wireless content
    
  • Comments about free content
  
  
  
• Advertising in free, subscription, or all content areas
  
• Plus 2 additional columns

Worksheet 3 - About The Content Matrix

• This worksheet provides a brief explanation of The Content Matrix, methodology, a few statistics on the number and types of publishers covered in the current edition, and information on licensing and use of the service.

Companion Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF format)

Charts and Tables

• Who Are The Top 25 Subscription Content Publishers?
  
• How Big Are Subscription Content Publishers?
  
• What Types Of Content Do They Publish?
  
• How Is Online Subscription Content Delivered?
  
• How Frequently Is Subscription Content Updated?
  
• What Formats Are Used To Deliver Subscription Content?
  
• How Many Publishers Bundle Archives Or Databases With Subscriptions?
  
• What Options Are Offered For Term Of Subscription?
  
• How Many Publishers Offer Free Trial Subscriptions?
  
• What Is The Length Of Free Trials?
  
• What Is The Average Subscription Price By Target Audience?
  
• What Is The Median Subscription Price By Target Audience?
  
• What Is The Average Subscription Price By Publication Frequency?
  
• What Is The Median Subscription Price By Publication Frequency?
  
• What Is The Average Subscription Price By Content Format?
  
• What Is The Median Subscription Price By Content Format?
  
• How Do Subscription Prices Differ Between Monthly And Annual Terms?
  
• What Is The Average Subscription Price By Content Category?
  
• What Is The Median Subscription Price By Content Category?
  
• How Many Publishers Offer Free Content?
  
• How Many Publishers Require Registration To Access Free Content?
  
• What Types Of Content Do Publishers Provide Free?
  
• How Many Free Email Newsletters Do Publishers Offer?
  
• How Many Publishers Sell Advertising On Their Subscription Site?

Abstract

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 24-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 (71%) in the current edition are delivered exclusively via the Internet while the rest have some association with a hardcopy publication or service. One-half (51%) target consumers exclusively, 15% are targeted principally to business users and the balance are designed for both consumers and business users.

The Content Matrix database itself is structured into two Excel worksheets. 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.

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