The GigaOM Network has been increasing its group of tech blogs, but its newest feature is a subscription research service called GigaOM Pro.
Om Malik, the founder of GigaOM Network, plans to sell in-depth research reports on technology sectors and shorter, timely reports on companies and news in those sectors to technology and business executives. Subscriptions to the service, which GigaOM is unveiling Thursday, will cost $79 a year at first and more down the road, said Mr. Malik, in an interview. (Read Mr. Malik’s blog post on GigaOM Pro here.)
GigaOM is the latest example of a Web company that once relied solely on advertising for revenue that is adding new revenue streams. On Monday, I wrote about other start-ups making similar shifts.
“To assume that there is only one revenue stream, which is advertising, is kind of shortsighted in this kind of media economy,” Mr. Malik said. He does not believe in charging for content that publishers have already given to readers free, so GigaOM Pro adds services. Readers have asked for deeper analysis than blog posts can provide, he added.
Mr. Malik started his flagship tech blog, GigaOM, in 2001 and formed the GigaOM Network in 2006. It now has seven blogs covering topics like green business, mobile phones and computers. (The New York Times has a deal with GigaOM to display some of its content on NYTimes.com.) He said that he had planned to add a subscription research service since he started the company, when he presented venture capitalists with several ideas beyond ads. The company also makes money from holding tech conferences and other events. He said he has two more revenue streams in the works, though he would not reveal details.
Six GigaOM Pro analysts will cover four areas: infrastructure, mobile, green I.T. and the connected consumer. Led by Michael Wolf, who recently joined GigaOM from the analysis firm ABI, they will add more topics in coming weeks. Bloggers for GigaOM blogs will contribute content.
GigaOM Pro will also offer longer briefings, like a 23-page report on the smart energy home or a 65-page briefing on social media in the enterprise. There are quarterly and weekly wrap-ups and closer looks at certain companies in a sector, like a report on whether Google will lead the way in mobile app innovation and an analysis of Cisco’s acquisition of Pure Digital. Analysts also publish collections of links to relevant articles from around the Web.
GigaOM Pro will not compete with Wall Street analyst reports or with research firms like Gartner and Forrester Research, Mr. Malik said. For one thing, it will not do any consulting work for companies. Its reports, available for the flat subscription fee, are much less expensive than those from the big research firms, the company said. It also says its content will also be more up-to-date — with daily updates, not just long reports — and more interactive, so executives can post questions for analysts and analysts will answer them on the site.
“We are taking a very bloggy approach,” Mr. Malik said. “What the blogs were to traditional media, we hope this will be to the research firms.”
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