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Thursday, September 15, 2016
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A growing layer of technology will help determine where podcasting goes nextShows are moving well beyond a simple MP3 file and an RSS feed. But will new data, targeting, discoverability, and social tools push podcasting in the direction of commercial radio? Part 4 of a five-part series on the business of on-demand audio. By Ken Doctor. |
What We’re Reading
AdExchanger / Kelly Liyakasa
Google and AppNexus are refusing to work with Adblock Plus →
Google has severed its relationship with ComboTag, the Israeli startup that sourced buyers for Adblock Plus' recently launched Acceptable Ads Platform. Google’s SVP for ads and commerce said the move puts Google in an "uncomfortable" position.
Politico / Joe Pompeo and Peter Sterne
The Guardian is reducing its U.S. headcount by 30 percent →
“In a meeting with newsroom staff, Guardian Media Group CEO David Pemsel called the changes a “course correction.” Eamonn Store, the CEO of The Guardian’s U.S. operations, told staff that the changes were due in part to low ad sales, and revenue projections that are “not enough to maintain our current cost base.” Store said that the company needed to make up for a revenue shortfall of $4.4 million over the next six months.”
Digiday / Lucinda Southern
The Sun’s Facebook chatbot drove nearly half users back to its site →
On soccer transfer deadline day, when the number of notifications reached its peak at 41 team-specific stories, 43 percent of chatbot subscribers clicked through to the main site. On an average day during that month, this was closer to 23 percent.
Mashable / Jason Abbruzzese
There’s still money in new media – if you’ve got the right résumé →
“The experience was largely bad,” Josh Topolsky, The Outline founder (and cofounder of The Verge) said about his fundraising efforts. “The vision that you need to think about and talk about when you think about these new media companies is in some ways in direct opposition to what investors typically want to hear.”
The Drum / Rebecca Stewart
Google looks to woo European media owners with a tailored YouTube Player for Publishers →
“The Drum understands that publishers will have control over the number of pre-roll ads that appear before their videos, and provide news outlets the option for one pre-roll ad per video view as well as mid-roll ads on long-form content on their owned-and-operated sites and apps.”
Digiday / Max Willens
iPhone users can now use Apple Pay to subscribe to some of Time Inc.’s properties →
People, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly and Real Simple are the first Time Inc. properties to support the feature, which will eventually also let Time Inc. sell products to readers.
Politico / Eric Geller
Gallup poll: Public confidence in media falls to all-time low →
“The drop in media trust and confidence was also apparent among both young and old respondents, according to the study. 2016 is the first time in 15 years that confidence in the media among Americans 50 and older fell below 40 percent.”
Fortune / Mathew Ingram
This new Chartbeat feature helps publishers figure out Facebook traffic spikes →
"Many of the publishers we talk to say they have this social news gap, where they see spikes happening on Facebook or wherever and they don't know why. We're trying to fill that gap."
Medium / Journalism 360
Introducing Journalism 360, an immersive news initiative →
“With this effort, we're looking to support experiments, provide training workshops, and bring together technologists and journalists to engage in a dialogue.”
Ad Age / Anthony Crupi
NBC says it made $250 million off the Rio Olympics despite lower ratings →
“The Rio cash surplus more than doubled the $120 million NBC pocketed four years ago in London. Mr. Burke noted that the profit marked a stark contrast versus the NBC-produced Olympics of yesteryear, when the network would lose as much as $200 million on the 17-day event.”
The Guardian / Jane Martinson
The BBC doesn’t like having to disclose its news presenters’ salaries →
“BBC director general Tony Hall said the corporation, along with all major broadcasters, questioned the merit of the government's decision to reduce the level at which pay would be disclosed from £450,000 to a third as much.”
Wired / Zack Tollman
Wired.com is now completely HTTPS →
“In other words: All our content is encrypted in transit from our servers to your browser, and this ensures no one is fiddling with that content before it reaches you.”