Studies indicate strength of paid online content model

New York--Two new reports from the Online Publishers Association released Tuesday indicate the growing strength of paid content as an Internet business model.

Consumer spending for online content in the U.S. increased 23% to $748 million in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, according to OPA’s “Paid Online Content U.S. Market Spending Report,” a study conducted by comScore Networks.

Another study issued by OPA, also conducted by comScore Networks, detailed the demographic characteristics of Internet users that pay for content. The “Paid Online Content Demographic and Usage Report” indicated that Internet users paying for content tended to be younger, more upscale and from smaller households than Internet users overall.

"The fact that younger people and those who are heavy users of the Internet are more likely to pay for content bodes well for the future of subscription services and premium products online," said Michael Zimbalist, exec director of the OPA, in a statement.

--Sean Callahan