Mather Report - David Clinch

Happy Friday to all of you and welcome to our?weekly?review of important?#MediaRevenue?stories.

We include some stories about the continuing challenges for newspaper publishers and others that look at the threat that?#ChatGPT?and AI present to news publishers.

If your news organization is planning your revenue strategy for 2023, our teams at Mather can help, so get in touch with?Peter Doucette?Liesbeth Nizet?and?Mather (Matt) Lindsay?to arrange a meeting to hear about our latest revenue products.

Connect with Liesbeth at the?GNI-FT Strategies event in London this month?and please click?here?to join me, Niketa Patel , Robert Padavick and Rodney Gibbs for our panel at the Mather?#MediaRevenue?Symposium?this month.

Let me know if you are aware of existing resources or frameworks for measuring the full social and economic impact of local news.

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

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The scale of local news destruction in Gannett’s markets is astonishing

"To put it in perspective:?In Q4 2022, digital subscriptions at Gannett newspapers — all of them — brought in a total of $35.5 million. But the company spent more than that, $47.3 million, just on debt payments."

Kristin Roberts Joins Gannett as Chief Content Officer

"Roberts will ensure the work of the newsrooms creates an impactful experience that delivers a dynamic digital model for journalism and monetizes Gannett’s breadth of content at a national and local level."

Dafna Linzer abruptly steps down as Politico’s executive editor

"Her hiring came on the heels of media juggernaut Axel Springer’s $1 billion acquisition of Politico in the fall of 2021. The German publisher has poured significant investment into the digital news site."

Morning Brew lays off 40 people

"...Morning Brew is working with its parent company, Axel Springer, to refer Morning Brew employees to other portfolio companies with open roles. (Axel Springer also owns Insider and Politico in the U.S.)"

The Washington Post offers bundle subscription with Headspace app

"The tactic is no doubt mirrored after the success other publishers — such as The New York Times — have had in growing their subscriber base by?offering subscriptions to non-news content, said Arvid Tchivzhel, svp of product at Mather Economics, a subscription management and customer data analytics firm that works with publishers. This comes as the Post is reportedly struggling to grow its subscription business — it has 3 million subscribers, the same number as in 2021."

A majority of millennials and Gen Zers pay for news, study finds

"Both millennials and Gen Z were more than twice as likely to pay for news from independent creators (i.e. email newsletters, video or audio content) than traditional print and digital outlets."

Publishers move past seeing social media platforms as traffic drivers

"...the influx of social media platforms and video formats entering the scene have forced publishers to weigh how to treat those readers: build an audience that stays on the platform — or funnel them back to their owned and operated properties..."

Why publishers and regulators need to wake up to the threat posed by ChatGPT

"ChatGPT does present a huge threat to publisher business models as a new form of search that answers users’ questions without citing sources or providing links back."

Why every checkout counter in America sells those $14 magazines

"This growing investment in special interest publications shows how much the commercial strategy of the magazine industry has changed."

How a new CMS changed audience and revenue outcomes for small publishers

"Reader revenue and newsletter subscribers have soared with website improvements and the use of Newspack Campaigns – which show interstitial prompts that drive visitors to sign up for newsletters, donate or subscribe."

Cheddar News Exits

"The incident underscores the pent-up emotions swirling inside the 7-year-old media startup, which has seen multiple leadership and mission shifts since its acquisition by telecoms firm Altice USA in 2019 for $200 million."

Vendors chase fees from Vice

"Wipro's is the fifth such public claim against Vice, coming on the heels of a February 23 legal filing by FTI Consulting, a management consultancy, that alleges non-payment of fees of nearly $1 million."

Google to launch fund to support Taiwan's media outlets

"Google said on Wednesday it will launch a T$300 million ($9.8 million) fund over the next three years to help boost the Taiwanese media's continuing operations and digital competitiveness."

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