#MediaRevenue - David Clinch

Welcome to my weekly round-up of all things #MediaRevenue. Let me know if I have missed any important stories.

We have had more news publishers sign up to the new advertising revenue processes we have launched. This process harnesses the power of highly-trained AI for attention time management and contextual targeting, combined with first party data. So far, this is driving significant new advertising revenue for every publisher involved.

Also let me know if you want to get involved in a test of new technology to solve the problem of journalists, and journalism, being impersonated online. This relates to the role of AI citations as well.

And we are launching an exclusive new AI-powered daily news word game for local news publishers. Let me know if you want to sign up for this product ->

If you need help navigating the impact of AI on your news organization, let me know: [email protected]

Here are the top #MediaRevenue stories from this week, including updates on the importance of attention time metrics ->

CNN launches a digital paywall, charging some users to read articles for the first time: "That paid offering is what’s launching on Tuesday – in a preliminary form that will expand in the months ahead. “Over time, we will invest in ways to better meet our users’ needs and expand our aperture to engage and serve new audiences,” MacCallum wrote Tuesday, hinting at “new products and businesses” in the future." - CNN Article - Brian Stelter

Going back to the well: CNN.com, the most popular news site in the U.S., is putting up a paywall: "It has a much better chance of success than CNN+ ever did. But it still has to convince people its work is distinctive enough to break out the credit card." - Nieman Lab - Joshua Benton

CNN Wades Back Into the Documentary Business: "The network is again financing and releasing documentary series and films after backing away from the genre two years ago." - New York Times - Nicole Sperling

Reuters to launch digital subscriptions for $1 per week: "Reuters announced today that it will launch digital subscriptions for its award-winning website and mobile app in early October. The subscription plan will be available to users at a globally accessible price of $1 a week, allowing cost-efficient, unlimited access to Reuters trusted, accurate and unbiased news coverage. The pricing plan is simple and transparent. There are no introductory offers or surprise price increases." - Reuters announcement. Josh London Gia Norris Phil Andraos

Attention measurement is progress for publishers like The New York Times: "Attention measurement (or simply “attention metrics”) has gained traction in the ad industry as a new and better way to validate the quality of ad impressions, and there is a growing body of evidence that applying attention metrics to overall measurement strategies can increase campaign effectiveness." - WARC - Gabriel Dorosz

The New York Times redesigns its app to highlight a universe beyond just news: "In the redesigned app, there are still four tabs — “home,” “listen,” “play,” and “you,” where users can follow topics they’re interested in — at the bottom, but a bar at the top of the home tab presents a list of sections that users can swipe through." - Nieman Lab.

Microsoft starts paying publishers for content surfaced by Copilot: "Reuters, Axel Springer, Hearst Magazines, USA Today Network, and The Financial Times are signed on for Copilot Daily, which is only available in the U.S. and U.K. at launch." - TechCrunch.

Publisher Traffic Spiked Thanks to Google's Gen AI Overview Tweaks: "Publisher Traffic Spiked Thanks to Google’s Gen AI Overview Tweaks. Google's AI-generated search, AI Overview, is boosting publisher traffic thanks to a new feature that embeds direct links within the text." - AdWeek.

Reinventing a 157-year-old news brand — Q&A with Steve Grove, Minnesota Star Tribune: Steve Grove is the CEO and publisher of The Minnesota Star Tribune. In August, the 157-year-old media company unveiled a major rebranding of all its platforms, including the newspaper, website and a revamped opinion section. Grove answered questions from the LMA team about the changes. - Local Media Association. Steve Grove

Why does the Wichita Beacon keep losing reporters?: The Kansas City Beacon seemed to be a nonprofit news success story. So what’s going wrong in Wichita? - Nieman Lab.

Nonprofit news orgs aim to fill the void left by Oregon's receding print publications: "The people behind Willamette Week will soon launch the Oregon Journalism Project, joining a burgeoning group of nonprofit news outfits looking to fill the gaps." - KGW.

Journalism scholars want to make journalism better. They’re not quite sure how.: "...last week a collaboration of scholars and practitioners published a white paper exploring such efforts. It is safe to say that journalism studies is no longer solely concerned with the study of journalism, but with advocating for its improvement or, alternatively, its transformation, as well." - Nieman Lab.

The Before and After - Meta’s Canadian news ban: "Meta’s retreat from journalism didn’t stop Canadians from seeking out news—but it did prevent them from finding information from legitimate sources." - CJR

Disney Layoffs Will Affect 75 Staffers at ABC News, Local Stations: Approximately 75 staffers in Disney‘s ABC News and local-station operations will be laid off, part of a series of moves across the large media conglomerate that aim to cut costs amid a difficult operating environment. - Variety.

Taylor Lorenz Exits Washington Post to Launch ‘User Mag’ on Substack: Lorenz, who is leaving the newspaper to launch the publication, says that it will "cover technology from the user side," in contrast to traditional coverage of social media. - Hollywood Reporter. Alex Weprin Taylor Lorenz