Mather Report with David Clinch

Happy Friday and welcome back to our?weekly?review of important #MediaRevenue?stories as we approach the end of 2022.

There are a number of stories that reflect the existential issues at the heart of any discussion of "the future of news," and I will be launching a new series on that subject very soon.

At the center of those discussions is the issue of business models for news. There is no single answer to what the best business model is, but there is a need for expertise and technical support for news organizations that need to optimize their subscriptions, advertising or blended revenue strategy. I am dedicating the "third act" stage of my career to developing business model solutions for news organizations of every size and shape.

If your news organization has not already put in place a strong and sustainable revenue strategy, our teams at Mather can help, so get in touch with?Peter Doucette?Liesbeth Nizet?and?Mather (Matt) Lindsay?to arrange a meeting.

I hope this curated list of stories is useful to you. Please tell your friends in the industry to sign up for this newsletter.

Always?let me know on Twitter?if you spot any?#MediaRevenue?stories I may have missed. If you have any questions or comments about these updates,?please get in touch.?

Here is this week's curated selection of?#MediaRevenue?news:

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Can News Be Made Into a Sustainable Business?

"Experiment with Different Business Models:?From nonprofit to for-profit, subscriptions and donations, the news industry must do what is needed not only to survive financially, but also to provide ideologically and economically diverse audiences the opportunity to learn the facts."

Meta avoids showdown over news content in US after journalism bargaining bill shelved

"Meta had warned on Monday that if Congress passed the competition bill as part of the larger legislation — temporarily allowing digital news publishers to negotiate collectively against tech platforms for a larger share of ad revenues — then the social media giant “will be forced to consider removing news from our platform altogether.”"

Government to force Google and Facebook to pay for using NZ news

"The Government will follow Australia and Canada in proposing a law that will require internet giants Google and Meta to pay for the local news they use, with estimates of about $30 million to $50m flowing to New Zealand media."

Media's Harsh Headwinds

"Economic headwinds are causing media entities to restructure, slash costs and shift strategies."

Washington Post Considers Selling Tech Business It Built Up on Jeff Bezos’s Watch

"For news companies that are mostly reliant on advertising and subscription revenue, developing an entirely different line of business is attractive.?The Post is on pace to generate around $600 million in revenue in 2022 and has over 2.5 million subscribers, down from three million in January 2021."

WaPo to discontinue ad tech arm Zeus as a standalone business

"The rise of subscriptions and direct-to-consumer products — like newsletters and podcasts — as well as growing competition from other ad tech marketplaces, made it harder to scale the offering."

Micropayments, macro problems

"Micropayments, or a system in which digital readers pay per article, fail to work thanks to a complex web of consumer psychology and macro economics."

More newspapers consider a pivot to postal delivery to cut costs and ease headaches

"The shift to mail delivery has gone hand-in-hand with the trend toward cutting back print editions."

Variety Notches Best Year of Revenue in Its 117-Year History

"Entertainment trade publisher Variety, part of Penske Media Corporation, has notched a year of record revenue and reach, partly thanks to capitalizing on heightened consumer interest in the rapidly transforming film and television industry."

Reach to launch US operations for Mirror, Express and Irish Star

"Reach confirmed on Thursday it planned to grow the American audience for the Mirror and Express brands with a New York office and new tranche of staff. More bespoke US-focused content in new verticals on their existing .co.uk websites will begin to be published early in 2023 ahead of their respective .com launches, Press Gazette understands."

“Every Voice, Every Vote” to invest $1.5 million in news coverage and voter engagement for Philadelphia’s 2023 elections

"Every Voice, Every Vote is a project of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. The Institute is awarding $1.5 million in grants to 52 news media and community organization partners."

Media startup Puck is aiming to build a business by covering power and wealth from the inside.

"Puck is just one of a flotilla of new digital publications targeting specific subsets of readers—Punchbowl (Capitol Hill) and the Ankler (Hollywood) have adopted similar strategies. Puck stands out because it’s not squeamish in declaring its fixation on the rich and powerful."

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