Are the days of a free internet coming to an end ?

Rabidlamb

I see RTE is looking into charging for their site, newspapers are looking into subs for online access, Facebook are to begin charging for PM's outside your friends circle & my kids have my head wrecking looking to buy lives for Candy Crush.

With Viber, Skype & Facebook messaging the traditional phone companies must be losing a lot of revenue & looking into changing their model.

Are the days of expecting everything for free coming to an end & how will this play out ?

IM0

no rte are retards

FatherLen

IM0 wrote: »

no rte are retards

never a truer word be spoke.

Lord TSC

All it will mean is people switch from RTE's website over to a free one. The internet is always going to have a "Charging? Goodbye. On to the next one" mentality.

kippy

Rabidlamb wrote: »

I see RTE is looking into charging for their site, newspapers are looking into subs for online access, Facebook are to begin charging for PM's outside your friends circle & my kids have my head wrecking looking to buy lives for Candy Crush.

With Viber, Skype & Facebook messaging the traditional phone companies must be losing a lot of revenue & looking into changing their model.

Are the days of expecting everything for free coming to an end & how will this play out ?

The internet isn't "free" and those sites/apps are just a subsection of what is available.

Corvo

I tell you, I wouldn't be on Facebook if you put a gun to my head but now they want to charge you aswell? Ha.

FernandoTorres

The Times, Guardian etc charge subscriptions for some content but it's good content that is usually very well researched and thought provoking.

Rte on the other hand use a mixture between Wikipedia and taking stuff from other sites while still managing to make countless spelling and grammatical errors.

Don't think I'll be signing up!

Fighting Irish

Nope, there will always be a free version of everything

krudler

so just use another site, there's tons of them, not to mention twitter, which is where news breaks faster than anything else now

donegal_road

We already pay an internet service provider a monthly fee, plus the proposed new broadcast charge is supposed to be coming into action soon. Im afraid there is nothing very free about the internet in my world.

shane9689

its called pirate bay! XD makes everything on rte and basically anything digital instantly free!

Antar Bolaeisk

The internet isn't free, there's generally some form of revenue being generated somewhere, such as the adverts on here, in this case it's just a direct charge instead of an indirect charge.

Grayson

Rabidlamb wrote: »

I see RTE is looking into charging for their site, newspapers are looking into subs for online access, Facebook are to begin charging for PM's outside your friends circle & my kids have my head wrecking looking to buy lives for Candy Crush.

With Viber, Skype & Facebook messaging the traditional phone companies must be losing a lot of revenue & looking into changing their model.

Are the days of expecting everything for free coming to an end & how will this play out ?

I really couldn't care if they stopped me from messaging a celebrity, it's not like I do anyway.

I saw their price list. Prince harry is 11 quid or something like that. Bill bailey is something like 80p

anniehoo

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Facebook are to begin charging for PM's outside your friends circle

This is a new one, any link to info on this?

Grayson

FernandoTorres wrote: »

The Times, Guardian etc charge subscriptions for some content but it's good content that is usually very well researched and thought provoking.

Rte on the other hand use a mixture between Wikipedia and taking stuff from other sites while still managing to make countless spelling and grammatical errors.

Don't think I'll be signing up!

Plus they're charging people from outside ireland. All those foreigners who are freeloading whilst watching nuacht.

Tombi!

anniehoo wrote: »

This is a new one, any link to info on this?

I thought it was Facebook are now charging to allow you to send messages to people who don't want to be messaged.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/04/08/facebook-extends-charging-and-that-is-good/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/apr/08/facebook-charging-users-celebrities

becost

TV3 are also looking into charging for 3player

SouthTippBass

RTE certainly think a lot of themselves if they think their content is worth paying for, they could be in for a bit of a surprise.

lovesfatgirls

IM0 wrote: »

no rte are retards

this.

also who cares its not like theres anything interesting on the rte site/station or even culturally relevant unless you live under a rock and or in the 1950's

H3llR4iser

Facebook's scheme of "pay to send a message to someone you don't know" is quite interesting, I think it stands equal chances of being a big success or a spectacular failure.

If I recall correctly, Facebook really started building an user base when the "relationship status" was added, due to most people realizing the media's potential for hookups. I wonder how much of that is still true - and if yes, how many people would actually pay to send ms. Cutie or Mr. Hunky a message...

krudler

lovesfatgirls wrote: »

this.

also who cares its not like theres anything interesting on the rte site/station or even culturally relevant unless you live under a rock and or in the 1950's

Winning Streak is worth the licence fee alone in fairness. Watch people push buttons to win money, but not actually do anything competitive.

Mr Freeze

SouthTippBass wrote: »

RTE certainly think a lot of themselves if they think their content is worth paying for, they could be in for a bit of a surprise.

I hope they do it, then have to do a U-turn on it, when nobody or a tiny few signs up for the paid service.

mikehammer67

don't care as long as pornhub doesn't start changing for a waank

smash

Rabidlamb wrote: »

With Viber, Skype & Facebook messaging the traditional phone companies must be losing a lot of revenue & looking into changing their model.

They charge for data now.

briany

shane9689 wrote: »

its called pirate bay! XD makes everything on rte and basically anything digital instantly free!

I don't see much content relating to RTE on TPB, relatively speaking. Certainly not everything by any means. However, the idea of somebody willfully seeding all the Service on Sundays from 2012 is amusing.

MajesticDonkey

From what I've read, RTE are only going to be charging people from OUTSIDE Ireland who want to use the online services.

1ZRed

IM0 wrote: »

no rte are retards

If I'd like to see one thing in my lifetime it'd be the painful death of rte.

No other country could have a more out of touch, old fashioned national broadcaster as rte, North Korea included.

Stellaluna

MajesticDonkey wrote: »

From what I've read, RTE are only going to be charging people from OUTSIDE Ireland who want to use the online services.

That makes a bit more sense especially since everyone in Ireland will cop for the catch all media tax that replaces the TV license. That means we will be/are paying for RTE's online content through the tax system anyway. I can't see too many folks outside Ireland desperate to part with cash to view it's online content though.

The BBC website is advert free for all UK users because it is funded by their license fee. Outside the UK the website is also free to view but has adverts.

becost

mikehammer67 wrote: »

don't care as long as pornhub doesn't start changing for a waank

You pay with your soul

p.s. xvideos is much better

Chuck Stone

Stellaluna wrote: »

That makes a bit more sense especially since everyone in Ireland will cop for the catch all media tax that replaces the TV license. That means we will be/are paying for RTE's online content through the tax system anyway. I can't see too many folks outside Ireland desperate to part with cash to view it's online content though.

The BBC website is advert free for all UK users because it is funded by their license fee. Outside the UK the website is also free to view but has adverts.

I think it's kinda nasty to try to milk money out of people who want to stay in touch with the old country. A lot of our diaspora had no choice but to leave.

RTE were supposed to be launching an International TV station but couldn't get their **** together.

Tin Foil Hat

RTE know damn well that no one will pay for this crap from abroad. But they will use the fact that they have this charge in place to justify their plans to convert the TV license fee into a universal broadcasting charge.

Duck Soup

No, it's not inevitable that everything will be charged-for. For example, the News International sites - FT, Times etc - charge for all but a sliver of content, but the Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail etc make money by advertising revenues based on page clicks. In the latter model of revenue, it's most important to get sheer numbers in (the Daily Mail recently supplanted the New York Times as the most visited newspaper site in the world).

For RTE to attempt to go paywall would be ludicrous. Their sports and international news are a mixture of agency copy (AP, Reuters) and what they've bought off the English news organizations (sports match reports for example). Obviously pretty much all of that is available elsewhere for free.

That leaves RTE attempting to charge for their own content. And considering that the 6.01 news sometimes has who died in a car crash as its lead news item, good luck with that.

Overall, the newspapers sites will split into those who believe the quality of their product and exclusive content will attract subscribers (NYT, Times, Financial Times etc) and those sites who just want mass viewing (the Daily Mail) to make money from advertisers on their pages.

Steve O

*smartass "Lolz the internetz isn't free noobs" remark*

****ing pedants out in force today.