Despite a wave of newsroom integrations bringing growing prominence to online newspapers, the websites are still chronically dependent on the print parents that gave birth to them. Guardian.co.uk editorial development director Neil McIntosh told Brighton Festival (via Press Gazette): “Looking forward, there’s a point at which you can say the model looks really challenging. It’s not dreadful at the moment, but it’s going to be a tough year this year and next. We need to have many millions more users to sustain the scale of operation and the way we work now. You couldn’t switch the paper off and expect the website to sustain all that.” The problem is not confined to Guardian.co.uk, of course. Most newspapers are investing heavily in online and multimedia as a bet against future reader habits.

SEE ALSO: @ OPA: Guardian Mulls India Launch - But What Price A Brand Extension?

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive CEO Caroline Little told this morning’s Online Publishing Association Forum For The Future in London: “The money is still mostly tied up with the print product. That’s changing over time but obviously not as fast as we would like.

More from the OPA forum through the day…