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digital subscriptions

How The Guardian, Contexte, and Iliffe Media are winning the subscription battle — Left to right: Lisa MacLeod (FT Strategies), Paul Fisher (Iliffe Media), Sacha Cayre (Contexte) and Liz Wynn (Guardian). Credit: Mark Hakansson / Marten Publishing

News

How The Guardian, Contexte, and Iliffe Media are winning the subscription battle

How do you get people to pay when they're used to free products or you're up against stiff competition?

By Jacob Granger • 4 min read

Quick reads

Manchester Evening News launches premium subscription for deeper, ad-lite local journalism

Reach plc's major title offers subscribers exclusive content, fewer ads, and new features while supporting trusted local reporting

By Jacob Granger • 1 min read

Jim Waterson on founding London Centric: "You've got to have a bit of joy" — Credit: London Centric / Jennifer Forward-Hayter. Caption: Jim Waterson, editor of London Centric, stands by an illegally-parked ice cream van on Westminster Bridge in central London.

News

Jim Waterson on founding London Centric: "You've got to have a bit of joy"

The former Guardian media editor has grown his Substack news title to 3.9k paying members with scoops, laughs and word of mouth

By Jacob Granger • 5 min read

The Independent's Beth Gordon: 'What Spotify's revolution taught me about saving journalism'

News

The Independent's Beth Gordon: 'What Spotify's revolution taught me about saving journalism'

A former Spotify marketing director says the music and news industry have both gone through digital disruption with subscriptions coming out as a solution. A second digital disruption of AI puts a premium on authenticity and human connection

By Jacob Granger • 4 min read

Journalism community rallies around those affected by Reach's redundancies — Credit: Photo by Priscilla Du Preez ???????? on Unsplash

News

Journalism community rallies around those affected by Reach's redundancies

More than 300 jobs are at risk in the UK news group's biggest shake-up yet. Peers offer coffee calls and new opportunities

By Jacob Granger • 4 min read

Latest RISJ report: Seven opportunities for your newsroom in 2025 — Credit: Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

News

Latest RISJ report: Seven opportunities for your newsroom in 2025

The Reuters Institute's 'Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions' report puts tech talent on a premium, as news leaders look to harness the best of AI, social video and subscription bundles

By Jacob Granger • 5 min read

How a Greenlandic publisher uses its own AI translator to boost subscriptions — Credit: Photo by Visit Greenland on Unsplash

News

How a Greenlandic publisher uses its own AI translator to boost subscriptions

In this special series that focuses on journalism rather than algorithms, Sermitsiaq's tool translates news content into a minority language ignored by most platforms - and subscribers can also use it for themselves

By Marcela Kunova • 3 min read

Five key takeaways from the UK select committee on the future of news — Credit: Screenshot via Parliamentlive.tv

News

Five key takeaways from the UK select committee on the future of news

News executives say that the industry is facing pressure from all directions: generative AI, the business model and relationships with big tech companies. But not everyone agrees on solutions

By Jacob Granger • 5 min read

WAN-IFRA World Press Trends and Outlook: Five insights from 15 years of reports

News

WAN-IFRA World Press Trends and Outlook: Five insights from 15 years of reports

"History often challenges new ideas before embracing them, a trend those leaning into AI might also experience," says François Nel, editor of the annual, global survey of news publishers

By François Nel • 2 min read

Blendle shuts down micropayment model due to "very limited user base" — Credit: Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

News

Blendle shuts down micropayment model due to "very limited user base"

News consumers expect all-access, Spotify-style subscription bundles, not small purchases

By Jacob Granger • 2 min read

Predictions for journalism in 2023: financing the news — Credit: 3D Animation Production Company from Pixabay

News

Predictions for journalism in 2023: financing the news

With digital subscriptions slowing down and print circulation in freefall, the media industry will gain more from collaborating than competing in 2023

By Marcela Kunova • 4 min read

How podcasts can push news subscriptions — Credit: Photo by Jukka Aalho on Unsplash

News

How podcasts can push news subscriptions

The Week Junior, The Financial Times and The New Statesman use podcasts to bring in new, loyal audiences that may pay for news

By Jacob Granger • 3 min read