That was 2023, here's how we bounce back in 2024
Seven charts which tell the story of 2023, and 18 news industry leaders share their insights into how we can make 2024 a better year for our business
‘Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la.
But Meta and Google have all our lolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la…
I could go on to further lament 2023 in carol form, but suffice to say it has turned out be a tough year for many news publishers after 2022’s pandemic bounceback.
If you are a journalist in Gaza - just staying alive into next year will be a huge achievement.
For those of us further back from the front line, remaining employed has been the name of the game as ad revenue and online traffic has plunged for most.
Here we tell the story of 2023 in seven snappy charts.
And here we share a roadmap for how news publishers can bounce back in 2024 drawn from 18 media leaders in the UK and US who have generously shared their insights.
My own prediction is that the biggest challenge for news publishers in 2024 will be finding a way to monetise quality journalism on the open web. The collapse of online ad revenue for news media was the big revenue theme of 2023 and the end of publisher cookies on Chrome next year looks set to accelerate that trend.
Get it right and we could start to claw back some of the billions lost to tech platforms over the last decade. Fail, and we will see around 90% of the population in the UK and US lose access to independent commercially-produced news (a terrifying prospect in a key election year).
We also have our latest exclusive ranking of the top-50 English-language news websites globally which underlines the seismic effect of Google’s autumn algorithm updates on news media.
I won’t wish you a happy Christmas just yet as we still have one more daily newsletter to go until our festive break.
New from Press Gazette
How can news media bounce back in 2024? 18 leaders share their insights
News leaders, including editors and CEOs, tell us their biggest challenge for 2024 - and share reasons to be cheerful.
Seven charts which explain news industry in 2023 declining ad spend to growth of AI
Press Gazette's pick of the charts that sum up 2023 for the news business.
Top 50 biggest news websites in the world: Global news brand traffic slump in November post Google updates
Press Gazette's monthly ranking of the top 50 news websites in the world, using Similarweb data.
Our latest podcast
Podcast 62: How publishers can sell online advertising in an awful market
Guardian US senior vice president for advertising Luis Romero talks to Press Gazette about what it is like to sell in the toughest ad market since 2008.
He also shares some tactics and strategies the Guardian is deploying to persuade more brands to spend money on reaching its 45 million US readers per month.
His pitch is a simple one: stop supporting the dark corners of the internet on tech platforms and instead help fund a news business which is shining light on the world's most important issues.
Must-reads this week from Press Gazette you might have missed
Mail Online confirms plan for subscription service with 10-15 paid stories per day
National press ABCs: The i and FT report steadiest circulations in November
Investigative reporting is a ‘masochistic business’ says journalist of the year Gabriel Pogrund
Guardian to build on ‘direct link’ between supporters and journalism with global growth
GB News ‘disappointed’ by Ofcom impartiality ruling against ‘Don’t Kill Cash’ campaign
Interviewer of the year Tom Bradby: Harry ‘never asked me what questions I was going to ask’