With the news that The Independent and Independent on Sunday are to stop printing from the 26th March and run exclusively online, it’s little wonder commentators now believe this spells the beginning of the end for newspaper printing.
But does it?
Nearly 20 years ago commentators were saying exactly the same thing and although (printed) newspaper sales have decreased steadily over the years, the majority are still able to justify going to print every day.
In fact, back in the late 90’s national newspapers invested heavily in online publishing, so they clearly acknowledged times were changing.
The Independent has been struggling for many, many years and as (often) happens in media publishing today, only the very best publications survive in printed form.
Online publishing is, of course, on the rise and it’s set to explode as tablet and smartphone technology advances. With further advancements in telecommunications, it is only a matter of time that a newspaper reader will be able to download a newspaper to their device in seconds and read it anywhere, irrespective of where they are.