Why you couldn't charge for Susan Boyle

Staying on the subject of paying for online content,Jon Bernstein writing at journalism.co.uk looks at the problem of micropayments at ITV.

Their recent experience of the multi viewed Susan Boyle which whisked its way around the globe on You Tube,prompted Michael Grade to say that

“We are working on it and watch this space, but we’re all going to crack it, either when the advertising market recovers or a combination of advertising and micropayments which is 50p a time or 25p a time to watch it.
We may move in time, in the medium term, to micropayments, the same way you pay for stuff on your mobile phone. I think we can make that work extremely well.”

However Bernstein argues that it simply won't work describing the Boyle experience as persihable goods that people won't pay for

Quality drama may have a shelf-life and an audience willing to pay for it, but a water cooler moment from reality TV? Not likely.

and that

Micropayments only work if you control distribution which of course using the Susan Boyle analogy,you wouldn't