Rothermere back in frame for Telegraph | Why New York Times is doing audio differently
And The Guardian stands firm in its £10m defamation battle with Noel Clarke over allegations of sexual misconduct
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Friday, 15 March.
The future ownership of The Telegraph is again wide open following a legislative ban on foreign governments owning UK newspapers and magazines.
Redbird IMI insisted it would have put in place cast-iron guarantees of editorial independence. Instead, my bet is that Lord Rothermere’s DMG Media will now win the race for The Telegraph and matters of editorial independence, or otherwise, will rest in his hands.
The move would give DMG Media more than 50% of the UK national newspaper market so could raise monopoly concerns.
But my hunch is that it will be waved through. In terms of sources of news, my research from earlier this week shows that today's media market is dominated by platforms outside the national press. In terms of advertising, there is already a very strong duopoly in place in the UK run by Google and Meta. DMG Media buying the Telegraph won't make much difference to that.
Culturally and politically the Telegraph would be a good fit for DMG Media. However, I can imagine the stability and investment offered by Redbird IMI will have been an attractive prospect to many Telegraph staffers. Any Telegraph/Mail merger will bring with it the dreaded synergies.
For what it’s worth DMG is also the favoured option for readers of this newsletter who voted in our poll earlier this week. Of 88 votes cast, 42% said DMG Media would be the best owner of the Telegraph, 26% backed Redbird IMI, 18% went for Sir Paul Marshall and 14% backed Rupert Murdoch.
Today we also report on the New York Times's singular audio strategy. The title's head of audio Paula Szuchman told Press Gazette why it has decided to go its own way with the launch of an audio app which has achieved more than one million downloads since launching last summer. The subscriber service is like a cross between podcasts and radio.
We also have the latest on The Guardian's defence against Noel Clarke's £10m libel action. The actor is suing over a series of allegations about alleged sexual misconduct which the publisher will have to prove were true.
And we wish the magazine Which? Travel a happy 50th birthday. Editor Rory Boland explained why he is happy to focus on serving an older readership with his bi-monthly ad-free title.
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New from Press Gazette
‘Not a podcast app’: New York Times Audio exceeds one million downloads
“I think, if you’re a Times lover, you’re like: ‘Oh, my God, I can hang out with all these people, and put it in my pocket and have The New York Times with me everywhere’.”
Foreign governments to be banned from owning UK newspapers and magazines
The ban will be brought in an amendment to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill.
Guardian to defend Noel Clarke reporting as true and in public interest
Alleged victims of Noel Clarke could give evidence to "vindicate" The Guardian's journalism.
Which? Travel turns 50 with model catering for older readers
“Like many journalists, what we’re finding is we still need to put all our effort into the print product while finding time to invest in other streams.”
News in brief
OpenAI has signed deals with French newsbrand Le Monde and Spanish publisher Prisa Media, which publishes El Pais, Cinco Dias, As and El Huffpost. (Press Gazette)
Former BBC editor of live political programmes and No 10 director of comms Sir Robbie Gibb has been reappointed as a BBC board member for England until 6 May 2028. He was first appointed in May 2021. (Govt)
The Lawyer publisher Centaur has reported revenue down 3% to £37.3m in 2023. Adjusted EBITDA up 20% to £9.7m. Follows closure of Design Week and Really B2B in December. Shares have risen slightly giving it a £60m market cap. (Investegate)
A UN report has found that an Israeli tank strike that killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah targeted a "clearly identifiable" group of journalists, making it in breach of international law. (Reuters)
British Vogue's first issue under its new editorial leader Chioma Nnadi has recorded "British Vogue’s highest ever print revenue for an April issue", Condé Nast says. (Vogue)
Meta has doubled down on its plan to stop paying publishers for news in Australia, says news is "highly substitutable" as Facebook content and it's not the job of platforms to "solve the long standing issues facing the news industry". (Medium)
Meta has also confirmed it will shut down data tool Crowdtangle, used by newsrooms to monitor the spread of/engagement with content on social media, on 14 August. (Wall Street Journal)
Yahoo is testing a creator programme for certain writers to publish and monetise stories under the Yahoo News brand, expanding its lifestyle content. The stories will be distinguished by a small "creator" tag and be fairly evergreen. (Fast Company)
Spotify is funding a £25,000 bursary for a student from a marginalised community to attend City University's MA in podcasting. (City)
The European Parliament has passed the Media Freedom Act, which bans the use of spyware against journalists alongside other safeguards for sources, means media will have to disclose who owns them, and will stop platforms "arbitrarily restricting" content. (EU Parliament)
The EU also approved the Artificial Intelligence Act, the world’s first major set of rules to regulate the new technology. (EU Parliament)
The BBC News channel has begun streaming for free on some smart TVs and FAST streaming services in the US, including Samsung TV Plus, Plex and Pluto TV. Distribution and advertising are being handled by AMC Networks. (Hollywood Reporter)
Latest podcast
Podcast 67: Magazine ABCs winners and losers with Nada Arnot of The Economist
Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford discusses the latest UK magazine industry circulation figures with reporter Bron Maher.
They pick out the winners and losers from the latest crop of results and also hear from Economist executive vice president Nada Arnot about how the title’s cut-price daily edition Expresso achieved lift-off in 2023. She also explained why she is bullish about The Economist’s headline (print and digital) circulation figures returning to growth in this election year.
This week on Press Gazette
Why defending current news coverage is publishers’ most important battle versus AI
Daily Mail podcast chief Jamie East on publisher’s rapidly expanding audio empire
The Economist is attracting younger readers with cut-price Espresso digital edition
Partisan publishers: Why Keir Starmer will have an easier election than Neil Kinnock
National press ABCs: FT sees biggest month-on-month print fall in February
Tortoise boasts growing podcast audience of up to 3m downloads per month
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