[EN] Introduction: This article analyses the potential business models that can allow the sustainable survival of news media companies through a content payment system and aims to identify the key variables that can influence consumers' willingness to pay for online content. Methods: The study is based on in-depth interviews with professionals from the fields of communications, digital marketing and news companies, and on the review of scientific literature and reports issued by prominent organisations in the media and communications sector, concerning the commercialisation of online news content. Results: The study has confirmed that it is difficult to achieve the acceptance of a payment model for online content among Internet users, but also that it is possible to develop a model based on variables that determine the willingness of users to pay for online information. Discussion and conclusions: The success of a payment model for news content on the Internet is linked to its added value, which depends of four quality variables: specialisation, differentiation, exclusivity and accessibility.
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