A huge live events opportunity for The New York Times
A huge live events opportunity for The New York TimesPLUS: Another video creator has left Vox Media to launch an independent channel.Welcome! I'm Simon Owens and this is my media industry newsletter. If you've received it, then you either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. If you fit into the latter camp and want to subscribe, then you can click on this handy little button: Let’s jump into it… Quick hitsThe New York Times's games vertical is a subscription juggernaut, so it makes total sense that it would start hosting in-person competitions for its most devoted gamers. I wouldn't be surprised if this evolves into an international series where a succession of regional competitions lead up to a global championship. [Digiday] Many of the largest YouTube stars now pull down audience numbers comparable to the most popular TV shows, yet they still struggle to command the same advertising rates. This is probably why many frustrated YouTubers are launching their own products to sell to their audiences. [WSJ] Disney's parks division has become its main profit engine in recent years, partly because of its hiked prices. But there's only so much growth that can be squeezed out of a physical location, especially since consumers are starting to question whether the trip is worth the price tag. [WSJ] Romantasy book sales are booming and Hollywood loves pre-existing IP with a proven sales record, so why aren't there more movie adaptations of the genre? [Bloomberg] FROM THE ARTICLE: "A male-dominated industry that’s blind to the tastes and interests of women and other marginalized groups is afraid to take risks and invest capital." It's becoming increasingly common for book stores to switch from selling coffee and pastries during the day to wine and cocktails at night. [Eater] With its lucrative cable revenue cratering, ESPN plans to lean more into sports opinion and gambling content. "Executives emphasized Wednesday that they're willing to elevate opinion analysts who are apathetic to traditional editorial standards to serve the modern fan." [Axios] Seems like recognition that the company is increasingly in competition with YouTubers and podcasters who pump out highly-opinionated analysis geared toward sports fans. The gaming streamer Ninja talks about how he reached 260,000 paying subscribers on Twitch and how his thinking on brand deals has evolved. [Mighty] How Local News Now built its loyal audienceProbably the chief worry right now in the media industry is how publishers will survive as large platforms like Google and Facebook continue to send less and less traffic, but Scott Brodbeck doesn’t lose much sleep wondering where his audience will come from. In 2010, he launched Arlington Now, and he’s grown the company into a network of news websites operating in the DC metro area. Not only is the network’s homepage traffic well above the industry average, but Scott is confident that his approach of producing differentiated content will protect him from platform disruption. In a recent interview, Scott walked through every aspect of his audience engagement process, including how he automates his social media distribution, why he never shut down his website comments section, how he gets 40% of his audience to come to the homepage, and why he doesn’t bother with organizing live, in-person events:
More quick hitsThis is a great profile of Ruben Bolling, a cartoon satirist who's been producing his comic strip since the early 90s. [New Yorker] Another video creator has left Vox Media to launch an independent channel. She says she was pulled into a meeting with higher-ups at The Verge and told that they could demand she take down content from her personal YouTube channel if they felt like it competed with The Verge. [Becca Farsace] Publishers allowed themselves to become reliant on programmatic ad tech platforms, only for those same platforms to roll out "brand safety" tools that allow brands to divert their money away from those same publishers when they report on anything even remotely controversial. [Business Insider] Yet another legacy media outlet relaunches its print publication. It's not because these companies think print will drive a lot of direct revenue; this is an attempt to increase brand recognition in an increasingly saturated content ecosystem. [Billboard] Huh. It turns out consumers don't trust your product recommendations when they're written by AI. Who would have thought?? [The Verge] Many of the digital media startups that reached consistent profitability resisted the temptation of raising massive VC investments. This allowed them to stay lean and adapt to the changing digital landscape. [Axios] "Last year, Fortune generated around $130 million in revenue and notched its third straight year of profitability ... Before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization, it had a profit margin of roughly 8%—or $10 million—in 2023." It has 40,000 paying digital subscribers, so it seems like most of that revenue is coming from advertising and events. [Adweek] Why I turn down most consultation requestsAt least once a week, I get contacted by an organization that wants to hire me to work with them on a contract basis to improve some aspect of their content operations. I used to make a living with this type of consulting, but now I turn away almost 100% of these inquiries and refer them to someone else. Why? Because even though these types of engagements often pay well, they’re also pretty time consuming, which means they would subtract from the amount of time I spend on my newsletter and podcast. But here’s the thing: the only way I can financially justify turning down this work is if I generate enough revenue through paid subscriptions. After all, I have an obligation to pay the mortgage and put food on my family’s table. Which is to say that if you want to ensure that my newsletter and podcast remain an ongoing concern, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Seriously, it’s only $100 for a full year, and if you’re using insights from my content to improve your own business, then that $100 pays for itself. And if you use the link below, you get 20% off for the first year: You're currently a free subscriber to Simon Owens's Media Newsletter. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
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How Dan Oshinsky used his popular newsletter to grow his consulting business
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Dan's growing archive of case studies and advice articles have turned his website into a go-to resource for newsletter operators. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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Tuesday, August 27, 2024
PLUS: LinkedIn newsletters have much lower engagement than traditional newsletters. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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Friday, August 23, 2024
PLUS: Why Ezra Klein picked the New York Times over Substack ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
How Tim Burrowes helped build Mumbrella into a $7 million media brand
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Its gossipy comments section quickly attracted an audience of bored office workers. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The next generation of cinematographers are honing their craft on YouTube
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
PLUS: Advertisers are abandoning local radio in droves. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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