As summer winds down, planning for the rest of 2019 and beyond is heating up. Here are five key changes that 2019 has brought, to keep in mind as you do your planning.
#1. iPad back in the spotlight
iPads have historically run on the same OS as iPhones, but will now be getting their own tailor made ‘iPadOS’. Whilst this isn’t likely to immediately change too much for publishers, it does show that Apple are willing to make an investment in iPad users, which could see more and more news being read on the devices. Read more
#2. Paywall blockers are the next threat
With more than a quarter of all readers globally using ad blockers, the news media industry has had to come up with new ways to overcome this, whether it be technically or through new strategies. But as the industry makes the move towards reader revenue strategies, we’re seeing more readers employ new techniques and technologies to bypass paywalls as well, with even Google getting into the game. See what measures publishers have taken to counteract this. Read more
#3. Google Search includes stories and audio
Finally, there is some good news for publishers. We’ve talked before about the importance of audio and the “stories” format for publishers, now we have another reason to add to the list: both formats will be surfaced in Google searches. Read More
#4. Consumer revenue strategies expand to audio
Following in the footsteps of many publishers who are focusing on a “pivot to paid” this year, some podcasts are also offering subscriber-only, or early access, to podcasts. Take a look at this trend, the technical solutions available on the market, and best practices from successful premium podcast strategies. Read more
#5. Apple News+ expansion
In a time when habit formation is key and publishers have already been burned by platforms before (such as Facebook’s decision to limit the number of news stories in users’ feeds), it’s only expected that any new initiatives from tech giants will be greeted by wary publishers. With the expansion of Apple News+ to Europe later this year, let’s take a look at how publishers in the US have responded. Read More
As is often the case in the media ecosystem, we don’t know what these changes will bring but it’s important to keep an eye on them. We’ll continue to monitor any new developments and share how it can impact your edition strategy as the key driver for reader revenue.
This article was written by Mary-Katharine Phillips, Media Innovation Analyst at Twipe from 2017 – 2021.
