#MediaRevenue - David Clinch

#MediaRevenue - David Clinch

TGIF!! Welcome to my weekly #MediaRevenue newsletter. I am including a few more positive stories of news companies harnessing the power of rich first party data and attention time, as well AI and engagement products, to build up audience and revenue to support their original journalism.

It is possible for news organizations to thrive, if they commit to original journalism and build smart business models around that strategy with the help of experts and the right media technology. Contact me if you need advice or help in this area.

There are a few updates on what tech platforms are doing, or not doing, in the news industry. Also some updates on relevant lawsuits.

Last week I did a partner spotlight SmartFrame - the platform for protecting and monetizing sports images online, built around key protocols for authenticity and provenance that will soon become the norm for publishers. This week I wanted to highlight the fact that our partners News Games, Rolli Legitimate Overtone and Nota all got to demo their AI-powered tools at the Glen Nelson Center at American Public Media Group demo day:

photo via Andrew Haeg of INN

The Guardian’s new “Deeply Read” article ranking focuses on attention, not just clicks: “Deeply Read,” a feature launched Wednesday, “uses attention time to surface a wider range of journalism that other readers are spending more time with,” The Guardian said. - Nieman Lab.


Guardian limits app articles, introduces paywall on App: A “successful” trial, almost two years in the making, has introduced an “app meter”, which caps readers of the left-leaning publication every month and asks them to pay to continue. Unlimited free content will remain available on desktop and the mobile website. - City AM.


Publishers are rethinking their definitions of “audience”: Digital publishers are adjusting their definitions of “audience” as it becomes clear that traffic has less bearing on their ability to generate revenue than they once thought. As the challenges facing ad-supported media mount, many publishers are placing direct audience revenue at the center of their business models instead. - Toolkits. via Jack Marshall


Inside The New York Times' big plans for its Cooking app: While many media companies have struggled recently, The New York Times has been a big digital success story. Cooking is part of that story. The Cooking app, along with Games, The Athletic, and Wirecutter, have bolstered the company's subscription business by providing different entry points. - Business Insider.


San Francisco Chronicle tries an AI chatbot — er, Chowbot — for food recs: The San Francisco Chronicle is experimenting with an AI-powered chatbot to help readers find recommended restaurants and specific dishes throughout the Bay area. - Nieman Lab.


Subrata De on the end of Vice News: One of the only remaining high-ranking executives running news at Vice Media Group announced that she would be leaving the company this week amid its decision to shutter most of Vice’s news operations. Semafor.


Essence in Talks to Buy Refinery29 From Embattled Publisher Vice Media: The price being discussed couldn’t be learned but Essence would likely pay a fraction of the $400 million Vice paid in cash and stock when it bought Refinery29 in 2019. - WSJ.


Meta announces end to journalism funding deals: Publishers informed on Friday Meta would not enter new deals when current contracts expire and Facebook news tab would shut down in April. - The Guardian.


Google hit with $2.3 bln lawsuit by Axel Springer, other media groups: The move by the group - which include publishers in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden - comes as antitrust regulators also crack down on Google's ad tech business. - Reuters.


Google Is Paying Publishers to Test an Unreleased Gen AI Platform: Google launched a private program for a handful of independent publishers last month, providing the news organizations with beta access to an unreleased generative artificial intelligence platform in exchange for receiving analytics and feedback. AdWeek.


OpenAI Seeks to Dismiss Parts of The New York Times’s Lawsuit: The artificial intelligence start-up argued that its online chatbot, ChatGPT, is not a substitute for a New York Times subscription. - New York Times.


UK publishers tell Parliament: Stop AI using our content without permission: Two of the four business leaders called on the government to “make it impossible” to train a large language model without brokering content licensing agreements. - Press Gazette.


Media buyers weigh the sledgehammer or the scalpel approach to MFA classification: When Digiday asked five media buyers which methodology — the sledgehammer or the scalpel — was winning them over, most buyers said that both options had to be approached with caution while the panic was still settling. Everyone said they weren’t entirely sold on any third-party’s guidance and wanted to wait for an industry standard. - Digiday.


Half of Top News Sites Blocked OpenAI's Crawlers in 2023: At the end of 2023, nearly one-half (48%) of the top news websites, based on reach, across 10 countries blocked OpenAI‘s crawlers, while nearly one-quarter (24%) blocked Google’s AI crawler. AdWeek.


Wikipedia No Longer Considers CNET a "Generally Reliable" Source After AI Scandal: "It's infuriating that Red Ventures' decisions have undermined the quality work done by CNET's writers, editors and producers." - Futurism.


The incredible shrinking podcast industry: Apple has quietly tightened its reporting of how many people listen to podcasts, sending shock waves through an embattled audio industry still reeling from the end of the COVID-era production bubble. - Semafor.


WaPo tech columnist Taylor Lorenz launches video podcast with Vox Media: It's a huge win for Vox Media, which is trying to become a top destination for premiere talent to partner on distribution, monetization and strategy for their podcasts. - Axios.


How the Media Industry Keeps Losing the Future: Roger Fidler tried his best, but the excellent business of journalism is gone for good. Can the idea of “news” survive in a digital world? - New York Times.


Local News Is Dying: What's Killing It?: Some of it can be chalked up to the economic impacts of the pandemic. Some of it is the fault of private equity firms that buy and shut down newspapers. A lot of it is the online migration of advertising. - NPR.


A new leader for Press Forward, at a pivotal moment for journalism: Anglin, who has never worked in a newsroom, was named last week as the unexpected choice to lead Press Forward, funded by a coalition of twenty-two philanthropic organizations, including the Knight Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. In that role, she’ll lead the effort to give away at least half a billion dollars over the next five years, raise another half billion within that time frame, and help inspire America’s troubled local news business. - CJR.


Click above to register for the Mather Symposium.


To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Others also viewed

Explore topics