Friday 4th February: How a simplified app is driving subscriptions

February 04, 2022

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This story is an excellent example of why KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid - is still the best approach when it comes to digital products. Speaking at a Twipe event on news apps, The Telegraph's Director of Product Mathias Douchet said that their new app strategy has been a "key enabler" in the company hitting its 2021 subscriber goals.

The publisher had previously been running two separate apps; a 'Live' app that covered the news as it appeared on the website, and an 'Edition' app, which was a digital version of the print editions. The new app combines the two systems, as well as bringing additional content curation and personalisation functionality.

Although subscriptions aren't sold through the app, in part to avoid the app store commissions, Douchet credits it with helping The Telegraph surpass its subscriber goals for 2021. Its value now lies in building habit and loyalty.

Well, this is awkward.The pop-up legal forms reportedly used by 80% of Europe’s internet to acquire tracking consent from users have fallen foul of the very GDPR rules they were designed to follow. This means far-reaching implications for advertisers, web users and publishers. John McCarthy reports on a situation that I'm surprised hasn't gained more industry attention.

The U.K. and Canada look ready to copy Australia's idea to force Google and Facebook to give publishers money. But it's a warped system that rewards the wrong things and lies about where the real value in news lies. Joshua Benton expertly articulates what we at Media Voices have felt about Australia's mismanaged attempts to tame the tech giants, and why it's bizarre that others are now looking to copy them.

Facebook is not infallible! Its daily user count dropped for the first time ever, according to its latest results, as it warned of a slowdown in advertising revenues. The news – and the implications for its wider business – caused its stock price to dramatically plummet as the company also missed key targets related to its pivot to the metaverse.

This week's podcast:

This week’s guest is Alastair Brian, Fact Checking Lead at The Ferret. He spoke about out the realities of modern fact-checking (it’s like Sisyphus on steroids), how to win over new readers who don’t have a pre-existing trusted relationship, and how community is at the heart of any sustainable revenue stream.

We wrote many, many words at the end of last year rounding up the key media moments of the year. If you haven't got round to reading our report yet, you can dive into the individual topics in our analysis archives. Taking a moment to look back can be a useful reminder of how far the industry has come in everything from subscriptions and video to NFTs and print.