Wednesday 18th January: Robust advertising business complements subscription revenue

January 18, 2023

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Growth of Ad-First Platforms Demonstrates Subscriptions Have Limits - A Media Operator

Any operator will tell you that having consumers pay for content is the ideal relationship, especially with subscriptions turned on and auto-renewing.…

https://www.amediaoperator.com/newsletter/growth-of-ad-first-platforms-demonstrates-subscriptions-have-limits/

You can read this post from Jacob Donnelly as a put down for any subscription-only zealots remaining out there. Or, as I do, as further vindication for the common-sense approach to media business models that says any revenue is good revenue.

We've spoken many times about the problem with the all-ads-are-bad approach to monetisation. The Free Ad Supported TV models outlined by Jacob in this piece, from Netflix and Warner Discovery to Microsoft Xbox, seem to me to be a sensible approach to a tightening subscription market.

What does that mean for publishers? A return to a primary media tenet: diversification. "Having a user pay for something is incredible. But having a robust advertising business complements the subscription revenue... while consumers might cut their paid spend, they’re unlikely to cut their time spent with content; therefore, giving an ad-supported option makes sense."

"We're U.S. first, that's where the opportunities lie": An interview with The Week's Richard Campbell | What’s New in Publishing | Digital Publishing News

Richard Campbell is Managing Director, News at Future plc where he oversees both The Week and The Week Junior. His portfolio spans both the U.S. and UK markets, giving him a unique perspective of the differences between both territories as well as insights into the opportunities for publishers looking to expand overseas. Richard Campbell has …

https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/were-u-s-first-thats-where-the-opportunities-lie-an-interview-with-the-weeks-richard-campbell/

Jez Walters at WNIP has been asking Future's MD of news, Richard Campbell, about publishing either side of the Atlantic. There is some great detail in here about the differences between the two markets, but I have to admit to feeling queasy about Campbell's 'US-first' response to managing across the territories... if I'm remembering right, that didn't end well for Future last time round.

How to track your podcast's analytics

If you want to build a successful podcast, you need to know how to measure your performance

https://www.podpod.com/article/1809910/track-podcasts-analytics

Chris Phin's description of podcasting as 'one of the last remaining holdouts of the old hippie web' tells you everything you need to know about why podcast analytics are not simple. But fear not, his piece in Podpod offers good advice to be had for people that just want to know how their podcast is doing.

Musk's leadership is not deterring media companies from quitting Twitter

Twitter's media and sports deals continue in the face of controversies around Elon Musk's management.

https://www.axios.com/2023/01/17/twitter-media-sports-content-deals

Axios is reporting that Twitter is planning to run content sponsorship deals with more than three dozen news outlets, media companies and sports leagues in the first half of this year. The bottom line for Axios is that, at a tough economic moment for the media industry, Twitter has proven too useful to give up.

AOP CEO Richard Reeves on how publishers are addressing diversity and inclusion - Media Voices

On this week’s episode of Media Voices Richard Reeves, CEO of the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) here in the …

https://voices.media/aop-ceo-richard-reeves-on-how-publishers-are-addressing-diversity-and-inclusion/

We're back! Our first guest of 2023 is Richard Reeves, CEO of the Association of Online Publishers (AOP). We spoke about the issues, roadblocks and initiatives surrounding diversity and inclusion in the media.

In the news round-up, we take a look at the Reuters Institute's latest journalism, media and technology trends and predictions. We talk about where the smart money lies, which tech trends are non-starters, and ask to what extent AI is changing the landscape of journalism.