Wired gets unwound

by MIKE HEWITT, Marketing 06-Feb-97

The closure of Wired magazine’s UK edition might be expected to start alarm bells ringing about the future of the Internet.

The closure of Wired magazine’s UK edition might be expected to

start alarm bells ringing about the future of the Internet.

If the UK can’t support what is arguably the biggest publishing brand in

the Web market, what chance does the Web have of ever becoming a viable

commercial medium?

In truth, it’s not such a surprise. The Web is an international medium,

and the US parent title was always, frankly, the stronger. When UK Wired

closes, most readers will simply switch to its American big brother.

For all the recent media backlash against the Internet, there’s life in

the young dog yet.

Banner advertising, it is becoming clear, will not be the funding

panacea many site owners had hoped for. In its place will be a complex

funding model including subscriptions, pay-per-view, sponsorship and,

yes, advertising.

The end of UK Wired could herald the beginning of a saner, more rational

approach to the Web as a medium - and that’s no bad thing.

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