information provider (IP)

An information provider( IP) is a service company or a service department of a company that offers its own or third-party information. The information can be offered directly or via the Internet, for example via a content provider.

The information offered by an information provider can be made available to all users free of charge, but it can also be subject to a charge and can only be accessed for a fee. Typical examples of free information offerings are general press releases about products, people, applications and processes, weather news and stock market services. Paid information offerings are researched reports and time-consuming analyses and studies.