Thursday 3rd December: The biggest media moments of 2020

December 03, 2020

Good morning! Today's Media Roundup is brought to you by Esther.

Our annual report is finally live! Chris, Peter and myself have spent many hours over the past month or so scouring through all the media news this year to compile the moments that matter most in one handy place.

From the collapse of events to the boom in subscriptions and shifting trust in journalism, this report explores how 2020’s defining moments have changed the media landscape, and what the future holds for 2021 and beyond.

Its nine chapters each give an overview of the moments which have defined the past year, along with a look at where we are now, what we can expect to happen next year, and a collection of case studies of publishers and brands who have made their mark, for better or worse.

Explore how global protests have forced media to think harder about diversity and inclusion, why keyword blocking has grown to become such an issue, the resilience of audio throughout the pandemic, and how publishers have used this year to reflect and reset their long-held strategies and beliefs.

Any article with 'insanely unique' unironically in its headline deserves a read. Here Jarrod Dicker, the WaPo's VP of Commercial Technology, explains to Press Gazette why their Zeus software can help other publishers collectively challenge the market dominance of Google and Facebook by improving website speed and ad performance.

Google News Showcase visitors will soon be able to read select paywalled articles at no extra charge. That’s one of several announcements that they made today about the Google News Showcase as part of its $1 billion commitment. Those users will, however, still need to register directly with the publishers, which will mean the publishers can 'own' the relationship.

Care Home Management may not be the sexiest title on the market. But the B2B care home publisher, owned by S&A Publishing, has steadily increased its turnover by 61% thanks to a rebrand, monetising existing initiatives, expanding revenue streams and focusing on its digital footprint.

This week's podcast:

This week, we talk to Prima's Editor Jo Checkley about what factors led to the decision to increase the frequency of the magazine, how their content has encouraged a community feel among their readers, and what lessons they'll be taking from producing magazines in lockdown.

One day left to get your (free) entries in! If you don't have a podcast yourself but have any favourites, do pass the message on - we want to celebrate publisher podcasts of all shapes and sizes.