The Long Tail Wasted

The newspaper industry somehow has been reluctant acknowledge they have a long-distance audience outside the geographic market defined by their print edition. The long-distance audience is their long tail.

According to empirical research based on the U.S. data (Sylvie & Chyi, 2007), online traffic from outside the market accounts for about 50% of total page views and minutes a newspaper site gets. In terms of unique visitors, the outside-market share ranges from 27% to 35%. For some Asian newspapers, I believe the percentages are even higher.

Just like what Netflix did with Bollywood films, the Web provides a natural platform for newspapers to go beyond their geographic constraints and reach users worldwide (in big numbers). But newspapers did almost nothing for these users, who are probably the most loyal users among all.

Therefore, the long tail is wasted and you ask why the industry is dying?