An interesting issue -- that Michael Trigg, VP of marketing at social network hi5 Networks just raised -- is why, if publishers really want readers to pay for content, do they make it so darn hard to do it. Amazing, he said, are the “hurdles we put (consumers) through when then want to pay,” from tedious roadblocks, convoluted registration pages, and so forth. On their mobile devices, he added, consumers don’t think twice about clicking a button to make a small micro-payment for a little piece of content from a ringtone to a publisher’s news story. “On Mobile,’ …

What will people pay for online? Porn, gambling? Well, yes, but Comcast Interactive's biz dev guy Krishnan Bhatia outlines three broad categories of products or services are willing to pay for: unique content; something offering a better price/value equation than people can get elsewere, like iTunes for conveniently, inexpensively getting music; and services that are more efficient and easier online, like Comcast's own Fandango for procuring movie tickets. The bigger trick is bundling content and services in one package, like the Kindle or iPhone/iTunes platform. So, with that in mind, would people pay for MediaPost online? Hmmm...

Where is the business of paid content going, and, more to the point, what do industry experts think of Steve Brill’s plea earlier this morning for publishers to begin charging for their content? It’s “certainly admirable, and it will work for a certain part of the industry,” said Krishan Bhatia, SVP Strategy & Development, Comcast Interactive Media. “He’s on to something,” yet, “We really need to figure out how to aggregate packages of content … I think it’s a much broader issue, and it will take many different approaches.” “He’s trying to create a billing platform where these …

Reacting to Steve Brill's plan to save newspapers by restoring the pay model online, Rodale vp for online operations Sean Nolan said the magazine publisher is already there, offering the vast majority of content free on an ad-supported business but charging $20 a month to hardcore users for a deeper dive of its offerings. Because Rodale has never been completely free, it doesnt face the same problem as newspapers that have to somehow convince customers to start paying for what theyve been getting free online for years. The 'getting the tube back in the toothpaste" problem Brill spoke about.

Adventville CEO and direct sales proponent David Koretz challenged Rocket Fuel's Richard Frankel to "make history" by guaranteeing to double CPMs via its ad network if he thinks they really do a better job of realizing value for publishers. Frankel said for a brand like ESPN or Turner he probably couldn't double CPMs because they already command a premium for their high-profile brands, but he could double or triple the yield publishers are getting for mid-tier or remnant inventory through increased efficiency of its technology. They'll have to settle that offstage.

Richard Frankel, president of online ad network Rocket Fuel is doing his best to convince a panel of publishers â€" including, ESPN’s David Roter, senior director of digital sales -- that his companies have a place in the industry. “Technology” -- i.e., ad networks -- “can help advertisers reach audiences in a way,” said Frankel. Ad networks, he said, “provide publishers with the ability to get more value … we’re actually pushing up the value for our publishers.” Admitted Walker Jacobs, SVP, Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Ad Sales, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc, “There certainly is a place …

Carrying on the great ad network v. publisher debate, Turner and ESPN sound like they have few regrets about turning their backs on ad networks to sell their own inventory. "We learned the independent market was being arbitraged against us and how big the opportunity cost was," said Walker Jacobs, svp of sports and entertainment digital ad sales at Turner. He indicated the network can now activate its audience of 60 million more effectively for large sponsorships selling on its own. Richard Frankel of Rocket Fuel and Alan Schanzer of Undertone Networks took up the defense of ad networks. …