WEEKLY NEWS ROUNDUP
1. Every eighth German newspaper sold is now an e-paper – Die Zeitungen
In the second quarter of 2020 alone, the circulation of German e-newspapers increased by just over 20 percent to over two million copies, according to a German study.
“In terms of content, e-paper readers are more than average interested in all the classic news topics, but especially in local and regional news.”
2. New subscriber index will help local news outlets tie readers to revenue – Northwestern University
The index will show local news executives which aspects of their online content are helping them acquire and keep subscribers and which content that is causing “churn”.
“The Medill Subscriber Engagement Index will provide data on their readers’ engagement that is not available to publishers without extensive technology tools that can be prohibitively expensive.”
3. With thousands of subscribers, The Juggernaut raises $2 million for a South Asian-focused news outlet – Techcrunch
The net subscriber count of The Juggernaut – a subscription media company aimed towards the South Asian diaspora in the US – has grown 20% to 30% month over month during the Covid-19 pandemic. After raising $2 million, they are now ready to go from a newsletter to a full-bodied media company.
“Currently, The Juggernaut charges $3.99 a month for an annual subscription, $9.99 a month for a monthly subscription and $249.99 for a lifetime subscription to the news outlet”
4. Analyst: New York Times can achieve higher-than-consensus digital subscriber growth – Investopedia
Shares of The New York Times Company rose more than 4% during Wednesday after Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on the stock, with an analysis stating that the paper, that is already seeing a fast growth in its number of subscribers, could achieve even higher digital subscriber growth in the coming 5 years.
“[…] the analyst believes that the company is a winner in the winner-takes-most digital news market, with a unique opportunity to scale its paid subscriber base in a growing global premium news market.”
5. How The Correspondent drives interaction between members and its journalists – Digiday
The Correspondent – a year-old publication with 50 000 paying members – has been raising money and hype about its ad-free, reader-funded counter to the 24-hour rapid news cycle. Rather than looking just at reader revenue and membership numbers, it judges triumphs by more amorphous measures like member collaboration.
“Of course, members that interact more are less likely to churn, too.”
WEEKLY ANALYSIS ROUNDUP
1. Paywalls and micropayments: How regional press is trying to make news pay – Press Gazette
There has been a reduction of at least 265 local newspapers in the UK since 2005, according to Press Gazette, which in a review highlights how some of the survivors are coping with falling ad revenues and circulation.
“Two prevailing approaches to making online news pay have emerged in the last few years, one chasing reach and scale, which can be sold to advertisers – and the other turning to reader revenues through a paywall or alternative paying model, which can offer a new source of income.”
2. Ex-Dow Jones CEO: Beware of subscription fatigue – Press Gazette
Dow Jones’ ex-CEO Will Lewis believes that publishers should not place too much hope on the current subscription boom to continue, as “many people cannot or do not want to pay $ 40 a month for a product in which they are only interested in a small part”. His proposal is to “disaggregate” the content.
“In a world where I have to take out a subscription to get a razor to shave I suspect subscription fatigue is going to set in and you will not be able to pin all your hopes on that”
3. Why Disney’s reorganization is a lesson for every media company – Zuora
Disney has announced a strategic reorganization of its media and entertainment businesses, where it will separate content production from distribution with an eye towards making content to feed into its streaming services. This is a harbinger of things to come in the media industry, according to Tien Tzuo, CEO of the subscription company Zuora.
“Disney is trying to set up the same kind of direct relationship that you might have with Apple, or Amazon or Google. Not by throwing a bunch of disparate products into the market, but by creating a single unified media experience.”
