Israel-Hamas conflict prompts surge in traffic to news websites
Barclays table £1.2bn UAE-backed bid to keep the Telegraph
Good morning and welcome to your daily media news briefing on Monday, 20 November, brought to you in association with PA Media.
Sign up to their Real Life Webinar on 20 November, which will explore the extraordinary world of human-interest content and how it can play a pivotal role in attracting new and unique audiences to your readership.
I’m just back from Press Gazette’s first US conference in New York where many publishers I spoke to reported plunging referral traffic from Google.
Google made core updates in October and November to its search algorithm that have had a severe impact on some publishers.
Our US top-50 news websites ranking for October shows big drops for some, such as The Sun and MSN.com, but huge gains for others. Audience interest in the Israel-Hamas war may have masked some of the impact of algorithm changes.
Press Gazette's global top-50 English-language news websites ranking confirms audience interest in the conflict. Times of Israel, Al Jazeera and AP News were the fastest-growing news websites worldwide in October.
This morning we also have the latest on the race to buy The Telegraph, with some big developments over the past several days. The Barclay brothers have reportedly tabled a potentially knockout bid to pay back everything they owe to Lloyds Bank and then some with a £1.2bn offer funded by backers in the UAE. The questions are: who exactly is funding the bid and will the UK government see them as fit owners for such a key news publisher?
German publisher Axel Springer has reportedly pulled out of the race to buy The Telegraph. And DMGT owner Lord Rothermere has given a rare interview with The Times to set out his credentials as a potential owner. He warns that many investor-backed bidders will want to make their money in three to five years, whereas he is looking for a return over a much longer timeframe.
Your news diary for the week ahead leads off with UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement.
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New from Press Gazette
Top 50 news websites in the US: Times of Israel and Al Jazeera fastest-growing amid Israel-Gaza conflict
Thirty of the 50 biggest news websites in the US (60%) grew traffic year-on-year in October, with The Times of Israel seeing the biggest growth.
Top 50 biggest news websites in the world: Times of Israel sees biggest growth as Gaza conflict leads to traffic surge for many
The Times of Israel was the fastest growing news website in the world in October, according to Press Gazette’s latest ranking.
Global signs major podcasting deals with US-based iHeart Media and The Athletic
UK audio powerhouse Global has signed major podcast distribution and ad sales deals with iHeart Media and The Athletic, both based in the US.
Ladbible Group launches sixth website to harness audience for tech content
Ladbible Group has launched a dedicated tech website with the aim of becoming the “home of technology content for the social generation”.
Podcast 60: How to make local news pay with Newsquest CEO Henry Faure Walker
Last year UK regional news giant Newsquest made £40m in pre-tax profits on turnover of £190m.
This year it is tracking to have ad revenue broadly flat over two years.
CEO Henry Faure Walker spoke to Dominic Ponsford about how the publisher of 200+ titles is bucking the trend on both audience and advertising revenue decline. He also shed light on some fascinating experiments using generative AI in the newsroom.
News in brief
The legal team of Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr has set out plans to appeal to the European Court over a costs bill for £1m after she was sued by Arron Banks over comments she made about him at a Ted talk. (The Observer)
Yorkshire Live has reported that its former reporter Robert Sutcliffe, who left the title earlier this year after being suspended, has pleaded guilty to five counts of harassment. (Yorkshire Examiner)
There are around 6,000 newspapers still going in the US, down from 8,891 in 2005. "We're almost at a one-third loss [since 2005] now and we'll certainly hit that pace next year," said the author of a new report. (Axios)
LA Times has become the first major US newsbrand to call for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. (LA Times)
Meta has reportedly "effectively disbanded" its news partnerships team in Australia, casting doubt over the future of its paid deals with publishers. (Capital Brief)
Previously on Press Gazette
Murdoch says son Lachlan ‘believes in social purpose of journalism’ as he hands over reins
GB News launches paid membership scheme with events, paywalled video and crosswords
Platform profile: How to reach the 70 million people using Snapchat for news
Telegraph journalists told use of ChatGPT will result in same sanctions as plagiarism
Data journalism: Why 200-year-old template still works
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