Rupert Murdoch, whose slashing of the cover price on Britain's The Times newspaper a decade ago transformed the industry, says the days of price wars are over.
In an interview published on Thursday by British media trade publication Press Gazette, the media mogul also said he thinks newspapers at 35 and 40 pence ($0.60-$0.69) each are selling at a high price.
"The reality is that we've seen the last of any serious price wars for a long time," Murdoch said. "I don't think any of the others could afford it, certainly not on a long-term basis."
Newspaper circulation has been broadly in decline in Britain as new generations turn to the Internet for more of their daily news. Murdoch owns the top-selling The News of the World and fellow tabloid The Sun as well as broadsheets The Times and The Sunday Times.
As more readers desert newspapers, advertising revenue has declined, especially from classifieds, which are increasingly migrating onto Web sites. That has prompted Murdoch to rapidly shift his attention this year to buying Internet companies.
"Certainly I don't know anybody under 30 who has ever looked at a classified advertisement in a newspaper," Murdoch said.
Murdoch, the chairman of US media and entertainment conglomerate News Corp, also attacked the recent craze of free CD and DVD give-aways that have become a popular method for publishers to boost circulation, however temporarily.
"I personally hate this DVD craze," he said.