Annual industry forecast from award-winning research and consulting firm foresees “reality checks” as the key focus for publishers and electronic content service providers in a toughening economy.

WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT, 27 FEBRUARY – Recent turmoil in global financial markets and gloomy forecasts from leading economic experts are underscoring earlier guarded forecasting for the content industry by Shore Communications Inc. (http://www.shore.com), the research and consulting service supplying content industry executives with ground-breaking thought leadership in publishing services. The annual content industry forecast from Shore’s award-winning team of industry analysts outlines “reality checks” as the key trend that will be shaping the marketplace for electronic publishing services used and purchased by individuals and institutions in global content markets.

“A more challenging sales environment for ads, subscriptions and value-add services is challenging publishers and content services providers to have business plans that focus on highly achievable revenue and earnings goals,” said John Blossom, President of Shore Communications Inc. “But this does not mean that many of the major trend-setters are likely to be swept away in a 2000-like ‘bubble’ burst. To the contrary, the dominance of online content as the driver for publishing revenue growth has reached the point that economic downturns are more likely to fell content services that have not moved aggressively enough to optimize their operations for online audiences. Especially perplexing in this economic cycle will be the role of user-generated media. With much of the content in weblogs, Wikis and other social media publishing properties generated via enthusiasts with little financial exposure successful social media plays may find their position strengthened significantly in comparison to traditional services.,”

The 18-page report, entitled “Outlook 2007: Reality Checks”, provides a detailed analysis of the current major trends in the content marketplace and focuses on trends impacting institutional content markets, scholarly publishing, business and market information, business media, general media, social media, book publishing and content technologies. The report focuses on the need for publishers and content services providers to focus on aggressive new approaches to content licensing, adapting content services to the increasingly real-time expectations of online audiences, leveraging social media as an emerging profit center and adjusting to marketers who are creating their own destination content and in doing so bypassing traditional advertising channels.

Major trends in the content marketplace are also analyzed within the primary attributes of the Shore Content Market Model ™, an evolving comprehensive taxonomy of the content marketplace. Key recommendations are provided for content vendors, technology vendors and purchasing institutions that need to develop strategies to meet the challenges of publishing in a rapidly changing marketplace for content services.

“This report has become an essential tool for initiating effective decision-making processes in the content industry,” said Shore President John Blossom. “Our leading team of market analysts combines to provide powerful insights to help leading content industry executives make crucial decisions in developing, marketing and deploying content services.”

Further details on the report, including a complimentary executive summary and registration for downloading the report may be found at the following Web address: http://shore.com/research/current/reports/SCI200701.html

ABOUT SHORE

Shore Communications Inc. is a leading research and consulting service focusing on organizations that develop, purchase and use professionally-oriented content and the technologies that facilitate its use in individual and collaborative environments. Shore focuses on the complex interplay between content, technology and people that creates value for organizations and individuals in today's marketplace. Shore’s research, commentary, private consulting and confidential advisory services provide valuable insights into the products, practices and behaviors that maximize the value of content and related technologies through all stages of its creation, organization, marketing, deployment and use.

For more information about Shore and report purchases, please contact John Blossom at 203.226.9488, jblossom@shore.com, or visit http://shore.com/us/resources/press/.

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