#47 - Gaming, the New Streaming Star
Streaming platforms have caught on to Gen Z's gaming habits (Gen Z spends more time gaming than watching TV ) and are investing heavily in game development. They began with game adaptations, such as the hugely popular HBO series, The Last of Us. But platforms like Netflix are also creating their own games, having released 55 titles with 40 more to come in 2023 . They're also exploring ways to make gaming more accessible through smartphones . With streaming platforms investing increasing amounts of money to retain fewer subscribers , it's possible that gaming will become the next battleground for attracting and retaining users.
IN FOCUS
An open letter calling for a pause on the development of large-scale AI systems sparked controversy this week, with some welcoming it as opposition to big tech's "ship it now and fix it later" approach.
However, others argued that the letter focuses on the risks to society and humanity but actually serves the social preferences of elites.
Meanwhile it's the Wild West out there. Twipe hand picked 10 examples of experiments done with Generative AI , 5 from news organisations and 5 from tech enthusiasts on a mission to build the next big thing in news.
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
It's perhaps never been more important for publishers to build an accurate forecast model for their subscription business. However, many newsrooms struggle to build these models accurately. If you're looking for guidance, check out this step-by-step guide on how to build a reliable forecast model for a subscription business.
New research suggests that automatically expiring subscriptions might actually help publishers attract more paying subscribers and ultimately generate more revenue.
+ How independent publishers can start to monetize their email newsletters.
+ The Guardian will begin implementing metered access to its app.
NEWSROOMS
Politico is taking a strategic approach to transform their publication, as evidenced by their recent appointment of an executive director of global newsroom strategy. The ambition is to not simply grow the publication by expanding the journalistic impact but to transform it—step by step.
The Association of Publishers (AOP) has issued an open letter on behalf of digital publishers urging advertisers and agencies to stop scraping publisher sites for more data than they bargained for.
PRODUCT
Turning newsletters into podcasts and vice versa is a smart strategy for publishers looking to diversify their content offerings and reach new audiences. This approach is explored in a recent article on The Fix.
The newly launched NPA newsletter, Product Notes , is sharing insights from the Wall Street Journal on prototyping news product s.
The Sigma Awards website is an excellent source of information for those looking to learn more about the techniques, tools, and impact behind some of the most innovative news projects of the past year.
领英推荐
QUICK HITS
AUDIO & VIDEO
In a podcast workshop at Radiodays Europe, DW Akademie introduced a toolkit to help podcasters streamline their creation process.
Interesting stats from the Spanish podcast market: Spotify has experienced a more than 6% drop in its audience, while YouTube's podcast platform has grown tenfold.
Beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev is launching an internal entertainment division to create films, series & podcast for streaming platforms , highlighting the trend that every company these days is a media company.
+ Antenna released it's State of VOD Subscriptions Report.
THE BIG AI ROUND-UP
Not only news, also history can be faked with AI. On Reddit, Midjourney enthusiasts are sharing photorealistic, news report style images of historical events — such as 2001’s devastating Great Cascadia earthquake in Oregon and Chinese creators use Midjourney’s AI to generate retro urban “photography” .
The latest trend in Gen AI land is text to apps . It's becoming increasingly possible for computers and phones to generate apps instantly. This means that users could potentially create an app in real-time, customized to their specific needs, without needing any programming or development experience.
More AI updates:
+ An interesting countermovement to the current acceleration: building the Slow AI movement .
OPPORTUNITIES
IPI is launching a New Media Incubator for new media startups.
+ Helpful tips to help you acquire, train, and retain the most talented journalists.
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As always feel free to share this newsletter with friends & colleagues!
Ezra Eeman, Change Director, News - Editorial - Mediahuis.
Co-founder & Research Director @ South 180
1 年Interesting to see Politico's interest in value and impact. Certainly, they have a product that can demonstrate creates change at policy-making level.