At NYT, the number of people who read the paper online now surpasses the number who buy the print edition. This migration of readers is beginning to transform the newspaper industry.

This has been a topic of discussion here ...

Bill Keller, executive editor of the Times: "What happens if advertising goes flat? What happens when somebody develops software to filter out advertising -- TiVo for the Web?"

It is unsurprising that, for media people, TiVo reduces to a single feature: the 30-second skip. But this means they are missing the larger picture of TiVo's effect on how customers interact with media, such as the reduced significance of schedule and channel, owing to a decoupling of the viewing experience from the act of broadcast and recording.

"The online business model won't ever be able to support the whole news infrastructure."

A tragedy of the commons is emerging in this trend. Eventually, the major media will go through a purge cycle akin to those of the telecoms and the airlines.

Can Papers End the Free Ride Online?