The Financial Times has said that this year its subscription revenues - so that is monies coming from online subscriptions, print copy cover prices and corporate subscribers - will exceed print advertising revenues for the first time. And the business and finance daily says that that fact is vindication for the paper's long-held strategy of charging for online content.

As most of the FT's competitors in the UK newspaper industry start reconsidering a subscription model for their struggling online operations, the fact the one paper that has charged for online content throughout seems to be doing rather well will be heartening. Though whether the success of the FT and its US counterpart the Wall Street Journal in the online subscriptions marketplace can be replicated by less business-orientated newspapers, especially given the fact they have now been giving away their online content for several years, is, of course, of debate.

Confirming that content revenues would pass print advertising revenues this year, and all ad revenues by 2012, FT Group CEO John Ridding told paidContent: "Because of the decisions we took in 2006 in terms of changing the business models and developing content revenues, that has definitely strengthened us and made us in a stronger position than we would have been and than many of others are in".

Ridding added that other newspapers should be seriously considering his company's online business model. He added: "It's easier for us, I don't deny that. But equally, I don't think anyone can afford to dismiss the idea of developing paid-for content because journalism is valuable".