A new INMA report on newsroom metrics shows top publishers are prioritising quality reads and engagement over clicks. Leading news organisations are moving away from measuring success through traffic volume and impressions, according to a new report from the International News Media Association (INMA). Instead, publishers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are placing greater emphasis on metrics that capture the quality of audience engagement – including time spent on articles, depth of reading and subscription conversion rates. The report draws on case studies from 14 major publishers and reflects a broader industry shift towards…

The French newspaper has entered a strategic content partnership with the AI firm aiming to enhance search results and develop AI-driven products. French newspaper Le Monde has entered a strategic content partnership with US-based artificial intelligence firm Perplexity, marking a significant step in the race among AI startups to secure access to high-quality journalism. The deal will allow Perplexity’s search engine to use Le Monde’s reporting to enhance its AI-generated responses, while Le Monde will tap into Perplexity’s technology to develop new AI-driven products. Louis Dreyfus, CEO of Le Monde, said the partnership reflects the publication’s ambition to expand its…

The Murdoch-led company has reported a surge in quarterly net profits to $107 million, outperforming Wall Street expectations. News Corp has reported robust quarterly profits, driven by strong performance in its digital businesses and the continued success of its Dow Jones division, led by The Wall Street Journal. For the third quarter ending March 31, the company recorded net income of $107 million, or 14 cents per share, up from $64 million, or 7 cents per share, a year earlier. Adjusted earnings came in at 17 cents per share, comfortably ahead of analyst expectations of 13 cents. Revenue for…

HBM Advisory has added publishing, data scientist and entrepreneurship to its portfolio in just a few months. We have spent the past four years at HBM Advisory advising publishers on how to grow their digital businesses. But over the past six months AI hasn’t just changed how we work – it has changed what we do. At the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress in Krakow, we told the story of how a former newspaper journalist and a former CMO became publishers again. And product people. And data science partners. This didn’t happen because we set out to change things…

The success of the newly acquired paper depends on decisions it makes now, before it starts charging online readers. Congratulations to Tortoise Media on relaunching The Observer following its acquisition from The Guardian. It is a bold move and I have already signed up for your newsletters to see what comes next. First impressions of the relaunched website are strong: true to The Observer’s heritage but clean, modern and intuitive to navigate. Tortoise clearly sees that the opportunity is bigger than a fresh look. Building a sustainable, profitable digital subscription business with more than 150,000 sign-ups is part of…

The news industry has undervalued product development and must elevate its product teams – urgently. Here’s a challenge for you: name one truly great digital news product. Not a news brand. Not a piece of journalism. A product – a digital experience that stands alongside the best that the world’s tech or consumer apps have to offer. It’s tricky, isn’t it? (And no, you can’t count TikTok.) The New York Times’s latest app design, where you can swipe left and right for content, is often cited as a benchmark. It’s intuitive and useful. But is that the summit of…

Traditional divides between editorial and commercial teams undermine revenue growth. Here’s how to close them. For years publishers have run two trains on parallel and rarely converging tracks: editorial teams pursuing journalistic ambition on one and commercial teams chasing revenue targets on the other. This traditional church‑and‑state divide was intended to protect editorial integrity. But it is fast becoming a luxury few publishers can afford. Search referrals are dwindling (a resulting 10% decline in news traffic is a conservative estimate); social platforms have cooled on news; and ad‑blocking is siphoning revenues, with $54 billion lost last year – about…

Italian newspaper plans regular AI supplements but stresses technology must complement, not replace, journalists. The results are in. Italian daily Il Foglio has reported a sales boost and positive reader engagement after a month-long experiment publishing AI-generated content alongside its traditional journalism. Following the success of the trial, the newspaper plans to introduce a regular weekly AI supplement and use the technology selectively in areas outside its core expertise, such as astronomy. Editor Claudio Cerasa described the project as a world first: a four-page print insert written entirely by artificial intelligence, distributed daily with the main newspaper throughout the trial.…

A recent FIPP webinar sparked a vital conversation about the impact of AI on journalism and publishing. What role should AI play in publishing? A recent webinar hosted by FIPP – the global media network – offered a thoughtful and timely space to explore this often fraught question. Under the guidance of Alastair Lewis, FIPP continues to demonstrate leadership in convening open, forward-looking industry discussions on how technology is reshaping the media landscape. This session, like many it has run, encouraged a range of perspectives and highlighted just how important it is that publishers are equipped to understand and…

Former MSNBC host builds fast-growing independent outlet with big-name contributors and ambitions beyond Substack. Mehdi Hasan’s independent media platform Zeteo has generated more than $3.5 million in revenue in its first year, making it one of the fastest-growing ventures on Substack. The former MSNBC host launched the newsletter on April 15, 2024, and now claims a following of around 400,000 subscribers, including over 40,000 paid members. Hasan told the Los Angeles Times that within four months of launch, Zeteo had already signed up 31,000 paying subscribers. Many now pay $500 annually, putting projected revenue between $3.3 million and $3.9 million.…