Google's cookie climbdown and EU curbs on Apple = good news for publishers
And two former stalwarts of the newsstand disappear from print
Two developments in the world of big tech this week have shifted the balance of power subtly towards publishers.
Sandbox has been quietly killed off and Google has accepted that the status quo whereby readers of news websites download tracking files in order to receive more targeted advertising will continue.
With UK publishers getting increasingly pushy over their “consent or pay” demands on readers it is broadly good news for them that it looks like the option of cookie-based targeting is here to stay.
Google’s climb-down comes a week after a US court ruled that it had broken the law by abusing its monopoly control over publisher adtech.
Meanwhile, Google is facing increasing competition from Amazon and I hear that both tech giants are currently on a charm offensive, persuading publishers to incorporate their suites of adtech products.
Both offer a comprehensive range of publisher and advertiser tools backed by their vast reservoirs of signed-in user data.
The second big story is the European Commission ruling forcing Apple to loosen its stranglehold over the commercialisation of apps in its technology ecosystem.
This promises to be great news for publishers (though possibly only in the EU).
Greater tech regulation under the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act is still in the works. I’ve taken a closer look at the first EU Digital Markets Act ruling here (which seeks to curb the power of both Apple and Meta).
And finally, two former UK magazine industry stalwarts – Grand Designs and Good Homes – are no longer appearing in print. They continue, however, as online brands and major live events.
Enjoy your weekend when you get there!
On Press Gazette
Google scraps plans for alternative Sandbox ad-targeting technology
“The digital advertising market has been operating in a fog of uncertainty for nearly five years as a result of Google’s abortive attempt to seize control.”
EU’s €500m fine of Apple and enforcement action is good news for publishers
Apple now has 60 days to change rules removing App Store 'excessive fees and friction'.
Grand Designs and Good Homes magazines end print publication
The digital publisher at parent company Media 10 said the titles would continue to accept pitches online.
News in brief
AI sign or sue latest: Ziff Davis sues OpenAI while Washington Post signs deal; Shutterstock allows Synthesia to do "pre-training" on its video library. (Press Gazette)
People who were signed up to Tortoise newsletters have started getting emails with Observer branding - yesterday was an alert about the new Observer Daily and Observer Food, and today was The Boardroom Sensemaker using Tortoise's Sensemaker newsletter branding. See images here and our full story about what’s coming up for The Observer here.
The Society of Editors has described the Home Secretary's plan to give anonymity to police firearms officers facing criminal proceedings after shooting a suspect as "fundamentally at odds with the principle of open justice". (SoE)
The Shetland Times is being put up for sale and has told readers its future is "far from certain" if new owners cannot be found. (The Shetland Times)
The BBC has launched a satellite video channel for Myanmar after Donald Trump cuts to funding for Voice of America. (The Guardian)
About half of people in the UK and US feel fabricated or manipulated news is a "very big problem" in their country according to a Pew Research Center survey.
This week on Press Gazette
Tortoise plans for The Observer: ‘We can buck the market trend’
Politico Europe reports ‘significant growth’ as its team reaches 350 people
How Mail has gained thousands of subscribers for crime podcasts
UK journalists are getting older, more left-wing and increasingly work freelance
Global ad spend against news down by a third since pre-Covid
Latest podcast: Making political news pay the Politico way
Press Gazette senior reporter Bron Maher talks to Politico executive editor for Europe Kate Day about the niche brand's rapid expansion on this side of the Atlantic.
The title launched in Washington in 2007 and has been in Europe since 2015. It now has 350 staff in Europe with 45 journalists in the UK alone. Day explained how the brand's mixed B2B and consumer business model works and revealed more about its further expansion plans.