Journalism.co.uk: Rosy future for online journalism

The future for web journalism is brightening up, with several studies revealing an upswing in internet usage and revenues.

The New York Times has gone from making a US$7.5 million loss on its web site in 2001 to an US$8 million profit in 2002. Asia Times Online's readers have risen from 26,000 per day in January to 65,000 in April this year. Slate magazine, despite still not making much profit, has more than 5 million unique readers - more than any traditional newspaper in the United States (US). In March this year, the San Francisco Chronicle's web site recorded its highest-ever profit. The Washington Post's site non-classified advertising was also up 80 per cent by the end of 2001.

In the UK, FT.com has seen its subscriber base rise from 17,000 last July to 53,000 in April, while the site's regular readership has risen to 3.5 million.