Across the pond, its all about the ads, too. A new study released by the UK Association of Publishers (AOP) finds display advertising accounts for an average of 41 percent of online revenue, the biggest chunk of online income for the groups members. Sponsorships make up nine percent. In fact according to the AOP Census 2006, for the first time in the four year history of the survey, the number of publishers charging for online content has dropped from 37 percent this year to 63 percent last year.

The survey confirms a sort of gentle shift in emphasis that has been going on for at least a year, maybe two years, in which time traditional media owners have had to accept that the content they create wont always command subscription revenue, concludes Bill Murray, chairman of UK AOP and managing director of group business information strategy for Haymarket Publishing Group. Murray adds the online ad market is so strong, publishers are finding they can easily compensate for lost subscription revenue when switching paid content to ad-supported content.

Another signal the paid content model may be getting less viable for some publishers: the number of survey participants who dont plan on charging for content has risen to 43 percent, from 30 percent last year, and 18 percent in 2004.

Thats not to say the paid content model has bitten the dust. To be sure, the census also finds revenues derived from paid content were the second largest portion of AOP member monies, making up 18 percent of online income. Seventy-eight percent of that portion came from subscriptions, 22 percent from one-off payments (typically for republishing rights).