The Impact of Perceived Importance of Journalistic and Non-Journalistic Revenue Initiatives on Users’ Willingness to Pay for Digital News

Although news media continue to strive to diversify their business models amid growing challenges to revenue sources, there is limited research on the extent to which journalistic revenue initiatives influence news consumers' perceptions of paying for digital news. Similarly, it remains unclear how non-journalistic initiatives, such as subsidies, grants, or ancillary services, affect the relationship between journalistic initiatives and users' willingness to pay for digital news. In this context, the study investigates the relationships between perceived importance of three journalistic initiatives—journalistic norms, content diversity, and brand reputation—and news users' (n = 244) willingness to pay for news content, while also considering the moderating effects of the perceived importance of non-journalistic initiatives. The survey findings reveal that the perceived importance of journalistic norms, and the reputation of the news brand are strongly associated with users' intention to pay for digital news. However, the perceived importance of non-journalistic initiatives shows significantly negative interactions in explaining the relationship between the perceived importance of journalistic revenue initiatives and users’ willingness to pay for digital news. These findings offer insights for making news media financially sustainable in the digital transformation era in Bangladesh, a rapidly growing South Asian country.