Die Zeit CEO on how German newsbrand delivered four-fold revenue increase
The DMG Media newsbrand which ditched its website and why Australian culture brand Broadsheet is coming to the UK
Good morning and welcome to your daily Press Gazette media briefing on Wednesday, 14 May, brought to you in association with The Podcast Show London (21-22 May) - the biggest international festival for the business of podcasting. Secure your pass now at thepodcastshowlondon.com.
If someone fails at your organisation do you “nail them to the wall” or do you give them a “big hug”?
If you are doing the latter you could emulate the success of German upmarket news title Die Zeit which has quadrupled its revenue since 1999.
Bearing in mind this is also a period in which newspaper circulation and advertising revenue collapsed, Rainer Esser is well worth listening to.
We have the highlights from his inspirational address to the recent World News Media Congress here. To experiment and fail is just part of the process, he said. Stagnation is the only real failure in modern media.
Today we also share insights from two growing media brands which have learned to be less reliant on websites in an age when AI-driven answer engines threaten to kill referral traffic.
DMG Media's fashion brand Eliza has ditched its own website altogether and jumped fully into creator-led content on Instagram and Tiktok. It is helping Mail and Metro publisher deliver social media campaigns for big brands.
The final success story we are highlighting today is Broadsheet, the Australian title which has found a way to make news pay providing city-based insights into restaurants, bars and entertainment.
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On Press Gazette
How business behind German newspaper of record Die Zeit went ‘from misery to paradise’
Five “principles of success” that have guided Die Zeit’s upwards trajectory.
Why DMG online fashion brand Eliza ditched its website
PPA conference warned that Google AI Overviews is asteroid heading for publisher websites.
Australian culture brand Broadsheet is ‘weirdly optimistic’ about launching in UK
Broadsheet founder Nick Shelton says London launch will have print edition as well as digital.
News in brief
The first English-language, EU-focused edition from French policy newsbrand Contexte, launched yesterday. Find out more from our recent interview about the plan.
Engagement on Facebook among 50 publishers was up 200% in Q1 versus Q1 2024 even though posting levels remained constant, according to Newswhip analysis. The real acceleration began in February.
Start-ups helping publishers and other copyright holders get paid for licensing the use of their content for AI training, including Pip Labs, Vermillio, Created by Humans, ProRata, Narrativ and Human Native, have secured $215m in funding since 2022. (Financial Times)
The Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo are launching a first-of-its-kind campaign calling for the Government to fund a new fast train line between their two cities. Their editors said: “It is unprecedented for the Echo and the MEN to come together in this way but we feel the potential benefits to the region outweigh any traditional rivalries.” (Echo and MEN)
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New York Times editor Joe Kahn defends publishing Trump story every half hour
How Google forced publishers to accept AI scraping as price of appearing in search
Premium news subscriptions offset falling tabloid web audience for News Corp
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