Canada Google deal lights way for UK publishers | Why Royals won't sue Piers
And The News Movement gets on with life after Will Lewis
Good morning and welcome to your daily media news briefing on Friday, 1 December.
Google search results have fallen off a cliff and the dark forces who control programmatic advertising appear to have turned off the taps for news publishers.
There is a feeling of siege around consumer news media as some publishers prepare to make their last stand around direct-sold advertising and subscription revenue.
But hark, is that a light in the west? Could Canada be coming to our aid?
The country is currently engaged in the same battle with tech platforms that Australia waged last year and has persuaded Google to get its chequebook out.
Weeks away from the passing of the Online News Act, Google has agreed to pay Canadian publishers £67m a year for their content. It’s less than they hoped for, and probably far less then they deserve, but paves the way for similar deals with publishers in the UK and US soon.
The UK Digital Markets Act could prompt payments from tech platforms to publishers in the UK next year in the order of £100-£200m per year which might be enough to tip the scales from decline to growth.
Today we also reveal how it is possible to report entirely untrue, highly defamatory allegations without getting sued.
Piers Morgan is back to his rambunctious best this week showing the same instincts which made him editor of the News of the World at 29.
Is he more concerned about the public interest, or a cheap ratings hit for his TalkTV show?
Whatever the motives, by reporting the libellous claims whilst making clear they are probably untrue I think he has navigated the legal minefield and delivered a marmalade-dropper of a news story.
New from Press Gazette
Piers Morgan’s likely libel defence over naming of royals in racism row
“The likelihood of members of the royal family suing for libel in these circumstances is vanishingly small.”
Google agrees $100m deal with Canadian publishers ahead of Online News Act
The Canadian government said that as well as committing a chunk of cash to compensate news publishers, Google has also provided assurances that it will continue providing training, tools and resources for Canadian news businesses and that they will continue to be treated commensurately with those in other countries.
The News Movement appoints interim CEO to succeed William Lewis
Currently president at The News Movement, Ramin Beheshti co-founded the Gen Z-targeted newsbrand alongside Lewis and editor-in-chief Kamal Ahmed as well as former Dow Jones chief of staff Eleanor Breen and ex-head of technology and architecture at The Wall Street Journal Dion Bailey.
Podcast 61: Why bad news can be good for business publishers with Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour
Dow Jones chief executive and Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour spoke to Press Gazette about how the financial news division of News Corp just managed to achieve its most profitable quarter since 2007.
In this edited version of his interview at the Press Gazette Media Strategy Network event in New York this month, he also spoke about what publishers need to focus on as global uncertainty looks set to continue in 2024.
News in brief
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has decided to intervene in the Barclay family deal with Jeff Zucker-led, Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI to buy The Telegraph. (Press Gazette)
The Telegraph has expressed scepticism about Zucker's ownership bid, saying in its leader today: "It is expected that Redbird IMI will offer undertakings about editorial freedom, yet it is hard to see how these can be guaranteed." (The Telegraph)
The NUJ has joined the BAJ union in opposing Reach's cuts and digital-first plan in a letter this week. The NUJ said the business plan needs a “radical rethinking” as it is “endangering the economic health of the company". (Press Gazette)
Around 4% of Vox Media staff are being affected by a second round of layoffs this year, with a spokesperson blaming "continued turmoil in advertising & the need to build even more loyal audience relationships given the increasing volatility of search & social platforms among other factors". (The Wrap)
Buzzfeed has been given an extra 180 days to get its stock price above $1 before it will be delisted. It's currently trading at 30 cents. (Adweek)
Daily Mail owner DMGT has launched an energy transition fund in collaboration with Moore Capital Management. (City AM)
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said in Parliament yesterday that the BBC should consider further training for staff following coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. "We want its editorial standards, its policies and those who work for it to be the best in the world." (Telegraph)
US feminist website Jezebel will be resurrected after being bought by music/culture mag Paste weeks after being shut down by G/O Media. "The idea of there not being a Jezebel right now just didn’t seem to make sense," Paste editor Josh Jackson said. (New York Times)
BBC Studios has launched Apple Podcasts subscription service BBC Podcasts Premium in 166 new countries, offering early access and ad-free listening to non-UK listeners. It had already rolled out in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. (Hollywood Reporter)
Acting BBC chair Elan Closs Stephens has said the need to make savings in face of high inflation and licence fee freeze means "difficult choices, with implications for our services and.. our audiences". “However, I believe that the challenge is to make sure that a leaner BBC is a better BBC."
Singer Peter Andre will be a guest presenter on GB News in December, co-presenting Saturday Morning Live each week. He first guest presented on the channel in May and said he got "wonderfully kind feedback". (GB News)
Mundial will reward its subscribers for interacting on social media including its new Discord channel, referring new members or following the podcast with points redeemable through the football magazine's store and partner brands. It's working with rewards/loyalty programme Ludo.
Dublin's High Court has dismissed a defamation claim against the Sunday Life newspaper by a Sinn Fein community organiser who claimed an article picturing him at a Christmas party with an IRA commander whose gang was implicated in a murder defamed him. (Belfast Telegraph)
Substack says it is launching new video features, "including video podcasts, interactive AI-generated transcripts, and flexible paywalls for video episodes".
Previously on Press Gazette
Uncertain times have been good for Dow Jones, a rare 2023 publishing success story
34 jobs cut on Newsnight as it becomes interview and discussion show
Most popular news apps in the UK in October: Strong growth at Money Saving Expert and GB News
Two-thirds of Telegraph subscribers ‘less likely’ to renew if UAE-linked bid goes ahead
Facebook subscriptions: Could Meta still be a friend for publishers?
Top 50 UK news websites: ITV and Mail Online see double-digit growth in October