Video Hubs, the AI vs Creator Squeeze, and the Case for Making Churn Less Painful

Why News Apps Are Building Their Own Vertical Video Hubs

Nieman Lab, News publishers embrace vertical video with in-app “watch” tabs

News publishers are doubling down on vertical video by integrating video tabs directly into their apps to keep audiences on their own platforms. The New York Times, The Economist, and Newsday report fast-growing in-app viewing, including among older users.

These video tabs are curated, not algorithm-driven, and typically avoid social features like comments to keep the experience clean and manageable. Early results show strong daily engagement and rising vertical video consumption, even on desktop. While most tabs are currently ad-free, publishers, especially the Times, expect vertical video advertising to become a major revenue opportunity.

How Mediahuis Is Rewriting Its Strategy for an AI-Driven, Creator-Led Future

WAN-IFRA, How AI and the creator economy are rewriting Mediahuis’ strategic playbook

Mediahuis is rethinking its long-term strategy as AI and the creator economy reshape how audiences find and pay for news. The company’s ambitious “7-7-7” goal — shifting from 70% print margin to 70% digital margin in seven years — now faces new pressures, including a projected €100M revenue gap by 2030.

While digital subscription revenue has grown sharply thanks to smart pricing, digital advertising is underperforming and print distribution costs remain high. To stay relevant with younger audiences and compete with creators, Mediahuis is testing new playbooks: building creator-focused strategies, investing in talent mobility, exploring acquisitions in adjacent creative industries, and experimenting with youth-oriented brands and off-platform monetization.

AI is now central to the group’s operations across workflows, products, and business models, freeing staff from repetitive work and cutting print costs. Leadership stresses that industry-wide collaboration on printing, distribution, and licensing will be essential to maintain scale and reinvest in journalism.

How The New Yorker Turned Puzzles Into a Revenue Engine

Audiencers, The power of puzzles: How The New Yorker approached a games paywall

The New Yorker introduced a dedicated paywall strategy for its growing suite of puzzles and games after seeing that they consistently rank among its top engagement drivers, with users spending up to 25 minutes on a single puzzle.

Instead of hard-locking everything, the team built a “windowed hardgate”: the last 7 days of puzzles stay free, while the full archive is subscriber-only. This lets casual players sample the product, preserves habit among loyal users, and creates a clear upgrade path for those who want more. The approach also separates game paywall rules from journalism, allowing tailored testing and messaging.

Early indicators show strong subscription potential even with small conversion rates, while maintaining engagement is the north star. The strategy strengthens The New Yorker’s overall value proposition and positions puzzles as a meaningful contributor to subscription growth.

The Observer Rolls Out Its First Paywall and a Reworked Digital Experience

Press Gazette, Observer launches first paywall and ditches Guardian-era masthead

The Observer has introduced its first paywall, revamped its website and app, and restored a heritage-inspired masthead as part of a broader digital relaunch. Now owned by Tortoise Media, the publisher has partnered with Piano and AAnd Digital to build a subscription model priced at £16 per month, with a discounted tier for younger readers. The brand is positioning itself as a curated, culture-driven destination—emphasizing daily editions, premium newsletters, puzzles, guides, and human editorial judgment over algorithmic feeds—aimed at creating a calmer, higher-value reading experience for paying subscribers.

The Business Case for Making Churn Less Painful

Audiencers, Easy cancellation is the new retention strategy: How Nat Geo Kids uses transparency to win beyond save rates

Nat Geo Kids shows that making it simple to cancel a subscription can actually boost long-term retention, trust, and growth. With new consumer laws pushing publishers toward cleaner off-boarding, the brand embraced full transparency including clear auto-renewal notices, self-serve cancellation, and fair cooling-off periods. The results were striking: higher Trustpilot scores, fewer complaints, faster support times, a 51% drop in payment failures, and strong win-back rates. The key argument is that removing friction at cancellation preserves goodwill, making former subscribers more likely to return and recommend the brand. Their experience confirms that exit design is retention design—an easy, respectful final touchpoint strengthens loyalty and fuels future acquisition.