Major UK tech newsbrand launch | How to make a tabloid paywall work
And the Charity Commission has thrown a lifeline to UK local news sector
Welcome to this week’s Future of Media newsletter from Press Gazette on Thursday 22 February 2024.
Those with long memories will know that downturns can be a great time to launch new things, especially if you are at the bottom of the cycle, because the only way is up.
So perhaps the team behind new tech title Digital Frontier are on to something. Today we exclusively announce the launch of the title which has a 20-strong team producing a website, newsletter, podcasts, quarterly magazine and events.
We also have some good news for the flagging regional news sector after a breakthrough ruling from the Charity Commission. The body has ruled that Guildford Dragon News can be a charity - the first time public interest local news has been designated as a charitable purpose.
The ruling opens the way to new sources of philanthropic funding (a huge source of income for news organisations in the US) and a host of tax benefits. George Brock explains what it all means.
Tabloid journalism in the UK has been stubbornly resistant to online paywalls so far. The Sun tried, and failed, to make a full online paywall work in 2013 and Mail Online is currently trying again - with a partial one.
We’ve spoken to German tabloid Bild to find how it became the country’s biggest paywalled news website with more than 700,000 subscribers. Its partial paywall helped inspire Mail Online’s current ‘freemium’ approach (just charging for a subset of daily articles).
And in case you missed it yesterday, we have a full round-up of the latest UK consumer magazine ABC figures for 2023 here. The main headline is the huge increase in readership for digital editions from bundled magazine apps.
Our latest podcast interviewee Ricky Sutton is hosting a global public meeting tonight inviting news media leaders to discuss how we can collectively fight back against big tech. From generative AI, to ad tech, there is a lot to go at. I will be there, hopefully you can join too.
The time of the meet is 8pm GMT via this link.
New from Press Gazette
Germany’s Bild proves paywalls can work for tabloids as it hits 700,000 milestone
“People see a story, they see a headline, and that’s the reason why they subscribe.”
Technology newsbrand with ‘optimistic view’ and 20-strong team launches in London
“We see a need in the market for a serious-minded publication that steps beyond the daily news cycle to produce deeply reported stories on how technology is upending business models and opening new markets.”
Charity Commission throws lifeline to UK local news sector
“This change of heart by the charity regulators opens a door through which other local and community newsrooms can now go.”
Must-reads this week from Press Gazette you might have missed
Magazine ABCs 2023: Full breakdown of titles shows 12.4% circulation fall
Magazine ABCs 2023: Private Eye sales dip as current affairs mags flag
ABCs: UK digital magazine sales surge boosted by Spotify-style bundled subscriptions
Top 25 US newspaper circulations: Largest print titles fall 14% in year to September 2023
News agency rebels over Sun and Times freelance rates unchanged in 40 years
Our latest podcast
Podcast 65: Beyond Google? Amazon and Microsoft are future says Ricky Sutton
Ricky Sutton joins Dominic Ponsford to talk Duopoly, AI and how future of news can be brighter.