I think the 'news' have become a commodity in this information age. For example, people want to get the time but they can use their smartphone instead of paying

I think the 'news' have become a commodity in this information age. For example, people want to get the time but they can use their smartphone instead of paying for a wristwatch. Now a days there are so many channels to get news it will be increasingly difficult for news outlets to monetize news, IMO, unless there is some unique selling point (eg. live sports).