How to save journalism on the open web: Dotdash Meredith's cookie-killer ad tech
Also, new data reveals the extent to which Facebook referral traffic to publishers is continuing to plummet, plus how Le Monde is targeting subscriber growth with English edition
Good morning, and welcome to your Future of Media newsletter on Thursday, 9 May.
Looking at data from 792 news and media websites tracked by Chartbeat we can reveal that Facebook referral traffic to news websites has fallen 50% in the last 12 months - continuing a longer-term trend.
This follows a concerted effort by Meta to be as unhelpful as it can possibly be for news publishers.
The new data comes as we revealed the impact earlier this week of Google's massive algorithm updates which were rolled out in March. This was more bad news I am afraid for most publishers, as their visibility in search results has fallen.
But before you look away in despair, I can offer some genuinely good news from the USA where Dotdash Meredith - the country's largest content publisher - has reported soaring ad revenue fuelled by a switch to some clever-looking in-house ad tech. This is great news for anyone who cares about the future of journalism on the open web because Dotdash Meredith has found a way to sell online advertising at a premium across its whole online audience, not just the small minority who accept third-party cookies on Chrome.
As we all know, Cookies are set to be switched off in 2025 with potentially calamitous results for publisher advertising revenue. The success of Dotdash Meredith's cookie-killer technology potentially lights the way to a brighter future for quality journalism in the digital age.
And finally, we have an interview with the head of development at Le Monde to find out how the French title has overcome some big technological hurdles to reach a significant new audience of readers, and subscribers, by translating around half its online output into English. The French title has a target of reaching one million subscribers by 2025 and is a world leader in terms of market penetration for a paywalled news website.
New from Press Gazette
Dotdash Meredith’s cookie-killer advertising technology appears to be working
In-house publishing tech fuels growing online ad revenue as the business strikes deal with OpenAI.
Facebook’s referral traffic for publishers down 50% in 12 months
Le Monde’s Olympian effort to attract more English-language subscribers
“Everybody's eyes will be turned to Paris and so, as we are the main French newspaper, we hope that some people will be interested in having the news direct from a French newspaper and it's really exciting for Le Monde in English to have this opportunity.”
Previously on Press Gazette
Informa and Dotdash Meredith are latest publishers to sign AI licensing deals
US interest in local news tumbles as 15% say they have paid for it in last year
Evening Standard editor Dylan Jones: I ‘never’ read a print paper anymore
What’s next for The Atlantic after reaching profitability and 1m subscribers
The media brand with one email newsletter, 15 staff and $15m revenue
How Germany’s Ippen.Media mastered content planning across 86 newsrooms (promoted)
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The Atlantic has become profitable after years in the red and marked the major milestone of reaching one million subscribers, it announced in April.
CEO Nicholas Thompson joined Press Gazette to discuss the subscription strategy behind The Atlantic’s recent success, how advertising fits in, the search for an elusive third revenue stream, and what goals he might set for the business next.
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