SCMP opens its Olympic site

One of the most profitable papers
by ctarda via FlickrIt's a bit like a dinosaur you think is dead already suddenly starts farting. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) has started an Olympic site and it is not behind a firewall, like the rest of the Hong Kong paper. At Danwei they discovered this, so perhaps somebody is there still paying to get access to the paper.
And there is even an rss-feed!
To put this new media discussion a bit in perspective. Up to not so long ago there were two schools among the traditional media that went online. Most offered their content for free, getting money from ads, while another section charge for the access.
The last group has been dying out, since the business model was rather unattractive now much of the information is available for free online.Also, to be part of the increasingly online debate, a firewall would limit access and most bloggers (like me) would not link to the SCMP, since most of my readers would not be able to read it anyway.
The South China Morning Post is despite ongoing losses that are common in this doomsday industry still one of the most profitable dailies. Also the Hong Kong flagship is in trouble, after revenue streams came under fire, but they can still afford to allow the reality as it is emerging in the rest in the world. The traditional newspaper is on its way out and unless you have a decent online strategy, papers will not survive.
I hope the Olympic site is an effort to change the tide, I believe it is still not too late for the SCMP.