Media mogul Rupert Murdoch could block popular search engines including Google and Bing from listing content from The Sun, The Times, The Wall Street Journal and others in a move to get readers to pay for online content.
Murdoch told Sky News Australia over the weekend: "I think we will [remove our websites from Google’s search index] but that’s when we start charging," accusing search engines of stealing content. "We have it already with the Wall Street Journal. We have a wall, but it's not right to the ceiling. You can get, usually, the first paragraph from any story - but if you're not a paying subscriber to WSJ.com all you get is a paragraph and a subscription form."
"The people who simply just pick up everything and run with it – steal our stories, we say they steal our stories - they just take them. That's Google, that's Microsoft, that's Ask.com, a whole lot of people ... they shouldn't have had it free all the time, and I think we've been asleep."
"There's a doctrine called fair use, which we believe to be challenged in the courts and would bar it altogether... but we'll take that slowly."
In September, the Wall Street Journal CEO and chairman told attendees at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia XVIII Conference plans to charge iPhone and BlackBerry users would go ahead "in one to two months." Under the scheme mobile access will cost $2 a week or $1 a week if you are already a subscriber reported Reuters.
Murdoch also confirmed plans to add pay-per-view options and subscription plans to Hulu, the currently free online video service that offers hit TV shows in the US. A UK version of Hulu is also planned.
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Comments received
Jovin said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Murdoch could remove his right-wing, biased and dumbed-down junk from Google...and what's the bad news?
Bartsimpsonhead said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Thank God for the likes of the BBC who provide the news as part of the license payers fee (effectively free!)
Once NewsCorp starts charging for their 'take' on the news, will anyone actually bother paying for it? Not me for one...
LiverpoolPaul said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
The Sun is scum, remember the dead Liverpool fans. Hate the man. Good riddance.
afd said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Murdoch gets enough of peoples money already. I think this article has convinced me to get rid of sky and go freesat...
FAKEJames Donevan said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Agreed. Sky is poor value for money and The Sun's support for the Tories has put me right off. So much is free and better I cannot see people paying to read the Times etc. Others have tried and failed with subscription services online. Even Macworld had an online subscription service which they scrapped. All reviews etc are now online and I Suspect more people visit the site. Shame on Murdoch, the money grabbing old goat and shame on you for running the WSJ into the ground. It USED to be a great news source. Set the agenda, now follows the herd.
Ratkat said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Murdoch is just a t**t. No more no less
shannonlove said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
The Wall Street Journal is the only major American newspaper currently making money and the only one with a successful fee-based web service. I imagine that Murdoch thinks he can extend that successful model to his other properties.
The catch is that the WSJ provide unique and high value business news while other news outlets don't provide anything of similar value. Business people make major financial decisions based on the WSJ reporting but few people do so based on the reporting in the New York Times. People will pay for the former but not for the latter. I suspect Murdoch will find that people won't pay for his other properties.
Roger Mercer said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Re: Thanks for the free BBC. For the most part you are correct. But the BBC does have an extreme bias on many stories that causes factual misstatements.
When the world doesn't work the way BBC thinks it does, they often can't understand what's going on and they get it totally wrong by assuming the facts must be otherwise than they appear.
Paul said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
The Sun newspaper, Sky News, Fox news and other Murdoch companies not bias, what a joke. While I find the BBC shallow and lacking at times, a world of Murdoch would be horrendous. What absolutely fascinates me about Murdoch, most specifically Sky television, for is it not the case that a great amount of content on Sky TV is old, repeated content that the BBC and others have made or commissioned, total hypocrite. If the BBC suddenly stopped Sky from broadcast BBC programs on the Sky platform, Sky would absolutely collapse if not be seriously limited, and as for google causing him problems, I say bring it on. Be worried Murdoch for the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Apple are snapping at your heals, and as with all big empires and bullies, your time will come.
Carl Barron said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Cut your nose off to spite your face comes to mind.
Advertising revenue is News Corps biggest revenue stream by reducing access to your Sites will reduce revenues.
Signed Carl Barron Chairman of agpcuk
John Dingler said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Thank you Rupert Murdoch for at least trying to clean up the media landscape of your bad content.
However, no thanks for trying to buy the courts to get them to remove the Fair Use Doctrine which has a positive influence on a democratic society that thinks it needs an informed electorate.
Bryan said on Mon, 09 Nov 2009
Let's hope the Mail, Express and so forth do the same. Good riddance to the lot of them.
Steve R said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009
If Rupert would rather withhold, then he had better do it, and decrease the surplus search population.
Christiaan said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009
Shut the door on the way out Murdoch.
iGav said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009
If Rupert Murdoch has his way, the BBC will be severely curtailed if the Conservatives get back in power. David Cameron has already made it clear that he will attack the BBC Royal Charter if he gets into No 10
This is something that shouldn't be allowed. Rupert Murdoch has far too much power as it is and needs restricting.
Personally, I would be glad if his garbage were ringfenced from search engines as it would mean I would never stumble onto any of his web pages by accident I would sure as hell never go to a News International website by choice
Marc said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009
iGav is right. While I totally agree that the removal of News International content from search engine indexes is no loss at all, the other part of the plan is to prevent the BBC from providing the information free. Be very wary of Cameron, he has made a deal with Murdoch to curtail the BBC to force the populous into his pay-only service for their news. This would be a very very sad day. He has been stepping up his attacks on the BBC and wants to bring it down. You have been warned.
RGP said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009
If only everything in life was as simple as our collective dislike of Murdoch. Cameron and he buddies (sigh) It reminds me of Blair and "Sir" Bill Gates
FFistometer said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009
That's OK Rupes, I've already removed your company's stable of products from my eco system mate.
I wouldn't buy ANYTHING you're associated with mate!
S Warral said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009
Sooner he removes his junk news from the net the better, its nothing but doom and gloom anyway.
How he can think his networks provide news is beyond me.
Good bye Murdoch and your tatty rag's we will not miss you.
Camán said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009
He is going to shoot himself in the footer.
Andrew Magee said on Tue, 24 Nov 2009
Murdoch is a shameless propagandist. Why anyone would pay money for his war-mongering lying garbage is beyond me.
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