To help you navigate the magnitude of content on offer written about the publishing industry, we select 5 articles each week which caught our eye. Reach out with any suggestions or comments.
1. Mobile users are now spending 4-5 hours per day in apps
Mobile is the number one news consumption device according to Reuters Digital Report 2022, so they are already a key point of focus for publishers. The importance of publishing apps is of course rising with this shift, and Sarah Perez of TechCrucnh this week reported that mobile users are now spending 4-5 hours a day on apps.
In the article, Sarah Perez also reports that the pandemic move to apps seems to have stuck, with consumers who adopted apps and behaviours choosing to keep their app habit.
Read the full piece from Sarah Perez in TechCrunch here.
2. What’s next for Apple News?
With Meta looking to get out of the publishing industry, there seems to be more opportunity for other big tech players to get involved. Apple have long had a tricky relationship with the publishing industry, and Apple News has never really taken off.
Charlotte Henry explores the state of Apple News and where Apple’s priorities lie (spoiler: it may or may not be in driving the sale of iOS devices as you could imagine).
Find out the full insights in Charlotte Henry’s piece.
3. German publishers generate more than 1 billion Euros in digital revenue for the first time – a third from ePaper!
Digital news, and in particular ePapers, has been popular in Germany for many years now. BDZV announced that this success has shown in revenue patterns, with German Publishers generating over 1 billion euros through digital channels.
Breaking down these findings, Horizon Online uncovered that ePaper was central to this growth. ePaper distribution made up one third of overall digital revenue. ePaper usage also grew 10% to a circulation of 2.21 million. Two thirds of these ePaper copies came through subscriptions, publisher’s number one revenue focus for 2022.
You can get the full article from Horizon Online in German here, (but of course you can translate through your browser to whichever language you prefer).
4. Instagram is paying media companies to post reels
TikTok is fast becoming the short form video king, and with their pivot to video, Instagram are getting jealous. Following on from Instagram Head Adam Mosseri announcing that video was their future, Tim Peterson at Digiday discovered that Instagram has started to pay media companies to post reels.
The move see’s media companies get paid for Reels which reach a certain number of views. Payment levels differ and have been described as nominal by some, but even still the move is an interesting one.
Get the full story from Digiday’s Tim Peterson here.
5. What is the long term potential of Web3 for news publishers?
Publishers are getting their hands dirty with the new realities of Web3, but since the concept is relatively new there is still a lot for customers to do. Focused around decentralisation, Web3 in theory offers more flexibility and freedom to publishers.
Publishers have mainly focused their Web3 efforts in NFT’s, but there is so much more potential including ways to develop more profitable business models, monetising their archives and enable validation of digital assets.
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