Top publishers on Tiktok and Instagram | National World's Manchester strategy shift
Plus Gary Lineker's Goalhanger Podcasts expands with two new staff
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Tuesday 13 August, 2024.
Today we publish two new rankings which reveal the leading UK and US publishers on two of the fastest-growing social media platforms.
Our Instagram list shows BBC News in the top spot on 28 million followers, up nearly 400% since we last ranked publishers on the platform just over a year ago.
The Daily Mail leads the charge on Tiktok, with ten million following its main account.
The growth reflects a major trend in media and news consumption towards short-form videos.
The Reuters Institute asked consumers in leading media markets which social media platforms they used to access news earlier this year. The leading platforms cited by survey respondents were: Facebook (26%), Youtube (22%), Whatsapp (16%), Instagram (15%), X (11%) and Tiktok (8%). Among these, Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok were the fastest growing.
Today we also hear how National World is trying to carve out a USP in a city dominated by Reach-owned Manchester Evening News: Manchester World has a six-strong team trying to tell the stories of "ordinary Mancs". Lucky residents of Manchester are spoilt for choice when it comes to local online news, with upmarket newsletter The Manchester Mill also based in the city.
And Gary Lineker's burgeoning audio empire is growing after a bumper summer, with two new staffers signed up to lead further expansion of Goalhanger Podcasts.
New from Press Gazette
Fastest-growing news publishers on Tiktok since start of 2023 revealed
Among publishers with over 100,000 followers at the time of our last update in January 2023, the 371% growth seen by BBC News was the largest.
Two news publishers have 20m+ Instagram followers: Leading UK and US titles ranked
The fastest-growing Instagram account over a two-year period was the New York Post, increasing by 74.7% since 2022 to 1.2 million.
National World’s Manchester site in strategy shift to ‘find place’ in crowded market
“With a smaller team, we can’t cover absolutely everything, which is why I say that trying to compete with the MEN would be folly.”
Goalhanger Podcasts expands team on back of summer success
The Rest Is History claims more than ten million downloads per month. During the election campaign The Rest Is Politics, combined with sister interview podcast Leading, claimed more than 21.6 million downloads and Youtube views of full episodes.
News in brief
Nadhim Zahawi has "floated" the idea of Boris Johnson being Telegraph editor-in-chief if his bid for the newspaper is successful, it has been reported. (Press Gazette)
Australian Instagram and Threads users were unable to post links to Australian news outlets yesterday morning. The issue has now been fixed. Meta described it as an "error", but a senator in the country has written to the company asking whether it was testing a forthcoming block on news content. (The Guardian)
Reddit's traffic nearly tripled to 346 million following the rollout of Google's "Helpful Content Update" in September, Adweek reports, prompting publishers including The New York Times and Puck to launch accounts on the platform. (Adweek)
A Hong Kong court has dismissed a bid by media tycoon Jimmy Lai to overturn his conviction as judges there ruled UK Supreme Court human rights decisions couldn't be used as precedent in the territory. (Reuters)
PLBY Group says it will revive Playboy magazine as an annual publication beginning in February 2025. (The Wall Street Journal)
The BBC has defended Today presenter Mishal Husain after an Israeli spokesperson said she "warrant[s] the pro-Palestinian reporter of the year award" during an interview. The NUJ has also weighed in in support of Husain, saying the remark betrayed "contempt for the work of journalists". (The Guardian)
Our latest podcast
Bonnier News CEO on power of bundles and personalisation
Sweden’s biggest news publisher Bonnier News has more than tripled profits in the past eight years and doubled revenue.
It now believes a subscription bundle, putting together all of its Swedish brands and harnessing AI to better personalise what users see, will be the way forward for continued revenue growth.
Bonnier News chief executive Anders Eriksson told Press Gazette UK editor Charlotte Tobitt about the business transformation he has overseen and the internal culture change needed to do so, why Nordic countries are ahead on subscriptions, and the thinking behind the bundle subscription strategy.
Previously on Press Gazette
BBC journalist received ‘defamatory and highly personal attacks’ over ‘out of context’ riot clip
News Corp has begun legal moves against ‘AI aggressors’, CEO reveals
Fastest-growing news publishers on Tiktok since start of 2023 revealed
Sun editor Victoria Newton felt ‘quite lonely’ during Huw Edwards story scandal
Telegraph in IPSO breach with article claiming cyclists were doing 52mph and ‘putting lives at risk’
Press Gazette live
Our flagship event the Future of Media Technology Conference and Awards takes place on 12 September on the Hilton Bankside hotel in London. It provides publishers with a masterclass on the big technology themes impacting our business and is also an unrivalled networking opportunity.
Full agenda and booking details here.