This week’s Twipe Weekly Publishing News Digest takes a look at stories from across the world of publishing, touching on topics like competition policy, a new life for ads and NFTs. Read our top 5 stories of the week below.
1. Publishers turning to game ads to drive traffic
Marketing Brew spent 3 weeks playing “Subway Surfers” to check out the ad experience. In doing this, they were faced with 365 ads, of which 124 were articles from 26 different publishers. Through using “rewarded inventory”, a feature where players can earn bonus points for sitting through ads or in this case reading the article, publishers are exposing articles and driving page views. The practise of driving page views through ad spaces is a grey area, but Ryan Barwick and Jenn Brice explore it well in Marketing Brew‘s piece.
Find out more in Marketing Brew‘s article here.
2. NFTs and publishing: Not “flash in the pan” but “prime opportunity”
NFTs are becoming mainstream. Many industries, including publishing, are using them as new sources of revenue generation. With the global NFT market worth around $35 billion, why not experiment? Freddy Mayhew of Press Gazette unpacks Evolok‘s whitepaper on 8 Ways Publishers Can Use NFTs To Boost Revenue. The piece explores the current state of NFTs and looks at what publishers can do to take these strategies to the next level.
Read the full article on Press Gazette here.
3. Axios sells to Cox Enterprises for $525 million
You’ve probably already heard but it’s good to note that digital news startup giant Axios has been sold to their lead investor Cox Enterprises. In a deal worth $525 million, Axios have become one of a handful of digital news startups that have sold for more than $500 million in enterprise value in the past decade. The move aims to ensure that investment will continue to flow into local journalism and offer expansion opportunities for Axios into more local news markets.
Learn more about the deal from Axios‘ very own Sara Fischer.
4. Canada’s Online News Act shows how other countries are learning from Australia’s news bill
Competition policy has been a hot topic over the last few years. Australian publishers had their own war with Facebook which resulted in the media bargaining code, whilst Europe introduced policy around digital markets and services aimed at promoting fairer competition. Nieman Lab‘s Taylor Owen and Supriya Dwivedi examine Canada’s Online News Act, the latest in a series of worldwide battles to protect publishers.
Find the full insights from their deep dive on the Canadian journalism market and the new act here.
5. What is the long term potential for publishers with AR and VR technologies and in the Metaverse?
Is there long term potential in future technologies like AR, VR and the Metaverse for publishers or is it just a fad? Our latest article dived into what long term potential there is for publishers using AR and VR technologies and in the Metaverse. In the piece, we touched on previous cases such as The Guardian’s 6×9 experiment and Billboard Magazine’s collaboration with Lollapalooza and Snap Arcadia, bringing the festival’s map to life. We also took a look forward at potential possibilities for publishers including immersive storytelling, premium ad experiences and how comments and engagement can be alive in the Metaverse.
Check out the full piece from our Twipe team here.
