Thursday 26th August: Publishers are less worried about cookie changes than brands

August 26, 2021

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Remember when the third-party cookie was scheduled for termination in less than six months? Well it turns out all the stress around the impending cookiepocalypse wasn't a complete waste of energy after all.

New research from Digiday+ suggests all those months of preparation have brought publishers some peace of mind. As of the beginning of the third quarter of 2021, less than 50% of the publishers surveyed said they were worried about their ability to target ads or measure their effectiveness without third-party cookies.

Brands seem a little more concerned, despite the two-year reprieve Google recently granted those pesky trackers. More than three quarters of brand respondents to Digiday's survey are worried about their ability to target and measure ads without third party cookies. Someone needs to tell them about first-party data.

The latest quarterly Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index from the AOP and Deloitte shows digital publishing revenues in the UK rising to £152 million in Q1 2021, up by 31.9% when compared with the same quarter in 2020. Revenue from subscriptions was up even more, growing by 48.8% YOY. Deloitte's Dan Ison described 49% growth as staggering. "In comparison, we saw a slight 4% increase in first three months of 2019," he said.

Writing in the i, Ian Burrell says the UK's regional publishers are parking their tanks on each other’s lawns. Dismantling one-time local news monopolies, publishers are 'erasing the geographical boundaries that have defined local news' with websites that deliver online reach in patches historically served by their rivals. The good news is the turf war is generating more jobs.

There's no denying the need for digital content. But specialist business publisher Mark Allen has seen the popularity of several of its print publications grow since the COVID crisis began and has launched two print titles to take it into new markets. Operations director Katina Toumba said, "We don’t set the agenda: our readers and advertisers tell us what they want – and they want hard-copy publications complemented by digital activity.”

Podcast throwback:

DC Thomson's Chris Phin reminded me of this interview with Brian Morrisey on our podcast meet-up. Brian spoke about the art of the interview and the importance of developing a quick rapport with someone when you want to put them at ease. Lessons to live your podcasting life by.

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