June 6, 2008

The future of media....

is something like this:
http://developer.yahoo.net/blog/archives/2008/06/new-york-times-api.html

The NY Times is opening up its content to be used by anyone who can write code. It's releasing an API, application programming interface, that lets people access NYT content to power other applications.

Newspapers have used mashups in other ways but this is the first time a media company is opening the gates to share its content. The exec in this interview says they'll make money off the API this way: "There may be a licensing model for commercial use but in general we plan to monetize these through increased traffic back to our site, not through licensing fees."

To me this is earthshattering - imagine the ivory tower opening up its doors for everyone to go inside. Historically newpapers have been very protective of their content, it's how they make money. I wonder how this API will change the revenue model for online news for not just the NYT but everyone else in the mass media biz.