WEEKLY NEWS ROUNDUP
1. Children’s news magazines have thrived during pandemic – Press Gazette
British Children’s news titles The Week Junior and First News have been thriving under the pandemic. Both have launched digital editions, and The Week Junior has seen its number of paid subscriptions rise by more than 10,000, as well as launching in the US.
“[Children] couldn’t go to school, they couldn’t go to clubs, they couldn’t see their friends – they couldn’t even see their grandparents some of them – and children needed information, not just from their parents but directly to them.”
2. The Telegraph offers ‘Insider’ content for subscribers – The Telegraph
The British broadsheet The Telegraph is launching an “insider” feature, saying they will “double down” on in-depth, local reporting. The feature will include all digital content, a behind-the-scenes look into the newsroom, an exclusive newsletter, access to the journalist and a letter from the editor.
There’s no hard and fast rule as to what makes a story free or not. In general, our Insider stories — the ones you have to pay for — offer insight you won’t find elsewhere.
3. Manitoba orders end to print subscriptions for public entities, nudging them towards digital editions – Niagara Falls Review
A new provincial policy in Canadian Manitoba requires government offices and publicly funded entities, including school divisions, to cancel print subscriptions to newspapers, magazines and periodicals, to find savings and reduce paper waste.
A provincial spokesperson said staff is required to prove “demonstrated business need” for subscriptions and if approved, buy digital versions.
4. Rolling Stone launches a new digital subscription model – Rolling Stone
The more than 50 year old music magazine is launching a semi-permeable paywall, and offering a digital subscription, giving unlimited access to RollingStone.com on any device, along with videos and podcasts
“So we’re now offering a digital subscription. That means, not only will our subscribers get access to our archives of important — and controversial — coverage that spans six decades, but you’ll also get curated content and exclusive first-hand looks behind the scenes. The majority of our daily and weekly newsletters will remain free to receive in your inbox, though reading them on the website will be a subscriber benefit.”
5. Facebook pilot links user profiles with online news subscriptions – Engadget
Facebook has revealed that it’s been working with several publishers to test a new account-linking feature. Once the accounts are connected, if the user clicks on a paywalled link via Facebook, they won’t have to sign-in to access the content.
“People have account and password fatigue and so it is not surprising that one of our most common reader complaints is that they have to login too often, and of course when it happens they do not remember their username, or password”
WEEKLY ANALYSIS ROUNDUP
1. How premium, ad-free subscriptions are working in local news – Poynter
People are paying for ad-free website access, and engaging well with other exclusive features, according to a report by Bay Area News Group, that has launched a premium, ad-free subscription for thirteen of its local news outlets.
About a fifth of new digital-only subscribers choose to pay more for ad-free, many with no discounted trial, and many have upgraded their existing plans.
2. Report: More subscriptions make up for fewer ads for digital British publishers – Association for Online Publishing
53 percent of publishers reported revenue growth in Q1 2020, according to a report by Deloitte and Association of Online Publishers. Revenues from subscriptions grew by 19 percent, whereas revenues from display advertising formats fell by double digits.
Purse strings may be tight, but sustained growth in subscriptions, up by 19% year-on-year, demonstrates that consumers are ready and willing to invest in quality content.
3. Pay for news or face a digital tax: A warning to Google and Facebook, from down under – What’s New in Publishing
Former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Professor Allan Fels, is not surprised by the tech giants fighting back against the new law urging them to pay for news content, but he believes that the Australian government may ultimately respond with a new digital tax to settle the matter.
“[Professor Allan] Fels believes the Morrison government may well respond with a new digital tax if Google or Facebook pulls some business out of Australia, like it did in Spain in 2014. Then, the Spanish government charged Google copyright fees for using news snippets, so Google shut down its news service.”
THE WEEKLY DATA POINT
22 percent
British digital publishers’ revenue currently come from subscriptions. Ten years ago, the figure was 7 percent. Meanwhile, display advertising revenues have fallen from 58 to 42 percent, according to a report by Deloitte and Association of Online Publishers.
