Thursday 16th September: Busting the content cannibalisation myth

September 16, 2021

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Have you ever had one of those arguments about when to publish different things? Perhaps you want to delay publishing the online version of a print article to avoid print subscribers reading a piece online first, or you want to spread out the video and audio versions of a piece of content?

It's a familiar issue that many of us will have faced - we've had debates ourselves about when to publish transcripts and articles so as not to 'cannibalise listeners'. But as this piece from The Fix eloquently points out, in the digital age, this fear is a myth:

Maybe in an age with a finite number of things to read, watch and listen to, the windowing argument would apply. Today it is meaningless. The same person might be in the mood to watch the interview one week, too busy next week and only has time to listen to it while jogging or skim through a text version the following week because he is not interested in the guest that much to give it 20 to 30 minutes of watching or listening time.

I'd recommend reading the article for the examples it draws out. But in short, opening up the options for consuming content has no negative effect.

The headline for this made me chuckle. 'It's not cynical...honest!' But more seriously, this is a good look inside News UK's plans for News Live, a new suite of events in 2021. Their bet - like many others - is that people will come flocking back to experiential and in-person events. They're also making sure to include hybrid options, as 65% of their events' audiences come from outside London.

A lot has been written about Tortoise in the few years since it started, but I liked this angle from Jacob Granger asking Vanneck-Smith what it took to lead a start-up. From the importance of deciding when to spend money to the need to continue listening to your audience, this is full of nuggets of wisdom for media leaders of all sizes.

We're pleased to see the immensely talented ex-Huffpost editor Jess Brammar land the role as editor of BBC news channels. There were concerns that she had dared to air some moderately critical views of the industry's response to racism and some anti-Brexit tweets, but it seems common sense has prevailed and her qualifications, background and experience in broadcasting have secured her the appointment.

This week's podcast:

Our interview with Terri is making real waves this week, with hundreds of listeners praising her honesty and openness around the struggles women still face in the media industry after becoming mothers. She also talks about the changes she made during her time at the magazine, from opening up the brand to cultivating the passionate community.

In this episode Cecilia Campbell of United Robots helps myth-bust some of the common fallacies about what robot journalism can – and can’t – do. To help illustrate what is possible we’re also joined by Ard Boer, Product Manager for Sport at NDC Mediagroep, who tells us how their sports team is making the most of robot journalism.