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Game on: esports offer a big win for media brands — digitalcontentnext.org

I don't know that much about esports. But lucky for me, my co-host Chris is all over it. And, as he points out in his latest piece for DCN, while marketers lose their minds over the non-existent metaverse, gaming audiences are already there.

Chris says that, from the platforms that early metaverse experiments were built on, to community-based interactions between brands and audiences on those platforms… it all looks a lot like gaming, just with a new name.

The lesson for publishers looking for a new niche to exploit is that they could do worse than look at gaming - the most lucrative entertainment medium globally. Beyond the umbrella appeal, there are numerous niches, each with space for clever content creators to attract, engage, and inform their communities.

Mobile users are now spending 4-5 hours per day in apps — techcrunch.com

I don't know whether to be overwhelmed or underwhelmed by this number. On one hand, four hours on your phone seems like a lot, but my phone's playing Spotify all day and my daughter occasionally listens to YouTube videos to help her sleep. More interesting is that users adopted new apps and behaviours during the pandemic and, despite the so-called “return to normal”, usage patterns have continued in 2022.

Black-owned publishers' ad businesses grow with increase in new advertisers — digiday.com

So much has happened in the world since the Black Lives Matter movement gained prominence in 2020, the danger that promises made by brands to do better by black-owned businesses could have been lost was very real. But, good news. Ad revenue at Blavity, Black Enterprise and Revolt has grown since agencies made commitments to allocate more dollars to Black-owned media last year.

Brands are wary of news – it's up to news publishers to change their minds — www.adexchanger.com

Marketers avoiding all news content rather than just sensitive or hot-button issues are doing a 'huge disservice' to journalism and the public good says Dev Pragad, president and CEO of Newsweek. I agree. But rather than blame super-squeamish advertisers, Pragad sets out a range of ways publishers can remind marketeers that news readers are consumers too.

Podcast throwback:

Lessons from award-winning podcasts: Chris Phin — voices.media

We heard yesterday that Chris Phin - our first ever Publisher Podcast Hero of the Year - will be leaving his role at DC Thomson. Chris has been a huge supporter of Media Voices and we wish him absolutely every success with whatever he decides to do next. In the meantime, we offer up his enduring podcast wisdom in this extended Lessons episode.

Speaker Announcement

We've started releasing details of some of our speakers ahead of the agenda reveal for the Publisher Podcast Summit! Follow along @pubpodawards and @mediavoicespod.