We're delighted to release the 2023 edition of Media Moments, our annual report taking a look at key events which have shaped the media and publishing industry this year.
From...
A year of culture wars demonstrates the public’s trust cannot be taken for granted
2023 has seen a number of ongoing trends around the public’s trust in media run their course – but individual incidents at the BBC, Fox and more demonstrate the scale of the risk for...
Is diversity, equity and inclusion at risk of becoming just another ‘trend’?
While the industry is seeing some progress in terms of gender pay gaps and representation, commitment to DEI in some quarters is waning, with too little focus on systemic change. Joanna...
The local news revival gathers pace, but there are bumps along the road for even the brightest sparks
In a growing number of spots, local news isn’t just surviving: it’s thriving. But the picture isn’t so pretty for legacy publishers. Esther Kezia Thorpe rounds up the last 12 months...
Podcast strategy bifurcates as media companies explore new ways to make podcasts pay
2023 has seen podcast strategies diverge like never before. Some major publishers have put the majority of their podcasts behind paywalls while others have cut back to the shows that perform best....
As the paid reader base grows more slowly, reducing churn is the focus for publishers going into 2024
Few publishers expected subscriptions would magically solve all of their revenue woes, but any that did will be increasingly disappointed as acquisition and retention challenges grow in a maturing...
Publishers blink as Meta cuts off money and traffic
The already-strained relationship publishers had with the tech giants soured further in 2023 as attempts to force payments in Canada saw Meta block news from its platforms completely....
Newsletter portfolios shrinking as publishers look to consolidate reader engagement
The social media traffic collapse has made newsletters more important than ever to publishers looking for real reader relationships, but less is looking like more in the fight for engagement....
Inflation increases pressure on newsprint, but magazine publishers are still finding niches
Economic turmoil has accelerated the print decline in mass market and regional newspapers, but magazine publishers are eyeing shorter runs and reduced frequency as an opportunity to cash in on...
Streaming services cement their dominant position in broadcasting, but sport still supports linear
Amidst growing financial pressure and Hollywood strikes, media and entertainment have had a turbulent year, but streaming services still lead the broadcasting landscape. Charlotte Henry...
Media companies grapple with practical and ethical questions amidst the generative AI boom
Generative AI has gone populist this year, with consumer-grade GenAI tools now widely available. While it offers new opportunities – editorial and commercial – its widespread adoption has also...
Report: Practical AI for Local Media
Media Voices has released a new report, Practical AI for Local Media. The report, sponsored by United Robots, explores the practical opportunities in AI for the industry. There is also an...
How local media organisations can get started with AI
Deciding where to start, both with identifying use cases for AI in publishing and actual implementation, can feel overwhelming. From securing data sources to getting colleagues on board,...
The benefits of AI for local media
There are a wide variety of different ways AI can be implemented in a newsroom to help reporting, audience growth, engagement and more. Here we explore just some of the benefits local...
What does practical AI look like for local media?
Some local media organisations have been benefiting from AI for years. Peter Houston explores what it looks like in practice in this extract from our new report, Practical AI for Local...
AI in media: myths and misconceptions
Is AI a magic technology that will make all our jobs obsolete? Or will it be the silver bullet that ‘saves’ publishing? There are plenty of myths, misconceptions and exaggerations...
Practical AI Podcast Special: Lessons from local media
Our special Practical AI podcast documentary explores how local media organisations have got started with AI projects, the benefits they're seeing, the challenges they've faced and what...
Media Moments 2022
We're delighted to release the 2022 edition of Media Moments, thanks to this year's sponsors, Poool.
Media Moments 2022 brings together the key events which have shaped the...
Publishers hibernate during the crypto winter – but a few brave souls continue experimenting
The FTX crypto exchange went kaput in November, taking billions in real-world money down with it. It’s a reminder that, despite all the potential around web3 for publishers, there are still...
Newsletters find their place as publisher email strategies evolve and mature
Despite being one of the internet’s longest-serving communications tools, email newsletters have rarely been out of the media news over the past 12 months as publishers upgraded the...
The last 12 months in subscriptions: publishers work to prove value
2022 saw publishers working to convince customers they’re worth the money. From content bundles to exclusive newsletters and podcasts, the subscription market is having to evolve....
Raising the calibre of climate coverage with the help of journalism collectives
Amidst the backdrop of record heat across Europe and ecosystem destruction globally, newspapers and broadcasters are gradually ratcheting up their climate coverage. Chris Sutcliffe rounds up...
Meta finalises its divorce from publishers as other platforms battle chaotic management
With Meta going all-in on the metaverse, Instagram relentlessly cloning TikTok and Twitter in chaos, the days of reliable social media publishing strategies are over. Esther Kezia Thorpe...
2022 in trust: gains made with Covid coverage collapse, global permacrisis stokes news avoidance
Trusted media brands do well in a crisis, but the constant negativity of 2022's news cycle, and the twin scourges of misinformation and political polarisation are fueling record levels of news...
Podcast measurement attracts investment, but content risks becoming stale
If 2021 was the year in which podcasting was taken seriously by publishers, this year has seen audio platforms double down on demonstrating advertising effectiveness to brands. But those...
There’s hope again for local news as innovative start-ups find their feet
After decades of decline, local news had been written off as a casualty of the digital age. But creator-led innovations in digital publishing tools and...
The last broadcast: traditional TV in transition as streaming wears the crown
Streaming has overtaken traditional means of consuming TV, both in hours watched and interest from audiences. But as streaming services hunt for advertising revenue, the lines between TV and...
Another rollercoaster year for advertising, but there are signs of resilience in the face of recession
Early hopes of a steady year rebuilding after the shock of the COVID crisis were dashed by Russia's February invasion of Ukraine, but there is still some growth in the ad sector. Peter Houston...
Special: Highlights from Media Moments 2022
This special episode of Media Voices features the audio of our launch presentation for the Media Moments 2022 report. Chris, Peter and Esther each outline which media moment of the year they found...
Collectives and activists drive a year of change around climate reporting
For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ve published ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers;...