Interview with editors of $100m Harvard Business review | Using AI to fight back
Plus an interview with The New York Times' Europe editor on its 100-strong London office and a special report on reader revenue strategies in German language countries
Good morning and welcome to your Press Gazette Future of Media newsletter on Thursday, 27 February.
With paid circulation of more than 340,000, Harvard Business Review is a $100m giant of quality journalism.
We spoke to new editor in chief Amy Bernstein and editor at large Adi Ignatius about how a title which is famous for clever ideas and long reads plans to thrive in a future where AI-written ideas are ten a penny.
We also have an interview with the Europe editor of The New York Times, which now has 100 journalists operating in London.
In terms of total audience minutes, the NYT is the tenth most-read news website in the UK.
Adrienne Carter said The New York Times is not trying to replace existing UK titles: "I think we’re looking at readers who are interested globally – interested in the world, interested in the US and how the US interacts with the world.”
Today we publish a new special report on reader revenue strategies in German language countries. As a rule, publishers in the DACH region are far more successful at attracting paying online readers than those in the UK. German tabloid Bild has more than 800,000 online subscribers (though they do cheat a bit).
Read a taster of our Ultimate Guide to Reader Revene Strategies in DACH Countries here. And download the full report here.
And finally, in a big week for publishers and AI we publish Paul Hood’s final column providing practical AI tips for the news industry. We may be involved in a death match with big tech Goliaths, but by embracing AI ourselves and creating content which can’t be replicated by the LLMs it is a battle we can win, he argues.
On Press Gazette
Harvard Business Review editors on future of $100m revenue title in AI era
“We’re not a bazaar of cool ideas. What we are is a very carefully vetted selection of proven ideas, approaches that have worked for others.”
New York Times sees ‘huge opportunity’ in 100-strong London newsroom
“Where we break through here in particular is when we can bring something different to it.”
How German-language news publishers are growing online subs
German daily tabloid Bild is still growing its digital subscriber base every month, while Die Zeit boasts 250,000 digital-only subscribers.
Publishers must use AI-powered slingshots to fight big tech Goliath
“In today’s publishing landscape, the big tech Goliath isn’t just big and strong; he’s armed with cutting-edge technology and sophisticated AI. To survive, publishers need to stop throwing pebbles and start building their own AI-powered slingshots.”
Also this week on Press Gazette
Carole Cadwalladr dropped by Tortoise ahead of Observer takeover
News titles from Guardian to Daily Mail unite in opposition to AI copyright grab
US newspaper circulations 2024: LA Times loses quarter of print circulation in a year
How publishers should fight back against the greatest heist in history
Facebook Channels providing small but engaged audience for publishers
Diversity and inclusion a priority for less than half UK news publishers in 2025, survey
ChatGPT referrals to top publishers up eight times in six months but still negligible
Latest podcast: Local News Renaissance with Jim Waterson
With three major London-wide local journalism launches in the last few months, is journalism about England's capital city bouncing back after many years of decline?
London Centric founder Jim Waterson explains how his Substack-based title has already gained thousands of paying subscribers since launching in September 2024.