Freesheets are badly suited for web

Metro International, the big freesheet newspaper company, came out with some pretty disappointing second quarter results. However, CEO Per Mikael Jensen claims things are going according to plan despite what looks like a very tough market for advertising.

One of the things that should help Metro International get up again is a stronger focus on online. However, I do not in any way share the optimism for that. And for a very good reason.

A freeshet is a convinience product. You get it on the train, at the station or in the bus, and you use it to kill off some time during times, where you have little else to do. As a consequence you accept that the stories you’re presented are hardly the ones winning Pulitzer prizes.

This is so different from online, where there is an abundance of sources, which will almost always be better than a mainstream news product dedicated to the masses. There’s just no real audience for print sheets gone online. Sorry.

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