New Voice of the News Media Industry Launched in UK

A united voice of the £6-billion local, regional and national media sector in UK has been launched called the News Media Association (NMA), as reported by NewsMediaUK. This association is an outcome of the merger between Newspaper Society (NS), the trade body for local and regional papers and the Newspaper Publishers’ Association (NPA) that represents national publishers.

NMA chairman and former Newspaper Society (NS) president Adrian Jeakings said: “Free speech and independent news are the building blocks of a healthy democracy. Newspapers embody this by holding the powerful to account, exposing corruption, and giving a voice to the unheard. Newsbrands – national, regional and local newspapers in print and digital - are by far the biggest investors in news in the UK, accounting for more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of the total spend on news provision. The NMA will provide this important sector with a clear voice on the issues which affect it.”

This association will represent the interest of its member publishers on a range of issues affecting the news media industry to include press freedom and public sector competition routes to market, copyright and IP. Murdoch MacLennan, Telegraph Media Group chief executive and outgoing NPA chairman, said: “Newspapers have a huge audience of 42 million adults every month in print and online who rely on our publications for trusted news and information.”

According to Guardian UK, under the umbrella of NMA will be the Independent Publishers’ Forum that was previously a part of the NS and the launch of NMA will provide independent news brands with a more powerful voice on issues that matter to the sector.

Looking back NS was launched in 1836 as a trade body representing both local and national newspapers, following which NPA was formed separately to represent the nationals. Through NMA constituted now, both the bodies will work together and reunites the entire news media industry in UK after 100 years.

NMA chief executive David Newell believes that, "Press freedom is under attack on multiple fronts and defending this fundamental right to free speech will be central to the NMA's mission. The new organization will work to clearly articulate the position of the news media industry on this and other important issues which affect the industry."

By: Savita V Jayaram

US Financial News Site Business Insider Launches UK Edition

New York based financial news website Business Insider has launched its UK edition for European markets recently this month, Prolific North UK reports. This new UK edition will focus on finance, politics and strategy, technology and will be led by managing director Julian Childs. Business Insider veteran Jim Edwards will be responsible for editing the UK version.

Demanding “fairness” from his journalists, the business media mogul Henry Blodget said the financial news site has grown to reach 55 million monthly visitors in the U.S, with a staff of 200 employees, Independent UK reports. Of the 55 million visitors, around 3 million visitors are from the U.K, hence the UK edition will cater to these loyal readers of Business Insider. The financial news website debuted in the U.K. on November 3, with an initial team of seven to ten journalists working on the U.K. version.

Henry Blodget, chief executive and editor-in-chief, said: “We’re bullish about launching a U.K. version of Business Insider. We believe there’s a void in the marketplace for our digital-first approach to news aimed at business leaders of today and tomorrow. It’s an especially exciting time for us to dive into this market, as the U.K. and the continent remain pivotal players in international affairs and business.”

This is the seventh version of Business Insider following its launches in countries to include Australia, China, Singapore and Malaysia through partnerships, Guardian.com reports. According to Blodget, the UK edition will be “complementary and competitive” with the FT, but his general view is that traditional print publishers are not at the leading edge of the digital revolution. Through this launch the company is aiming at significantly increasing the amount of web traffic from the U.K. to be currently at 5% of the global usage. Blodget shows absolutely no concern about the impact of the deep pocketed BBC digital news service.

Blodget firmly believes that Business Insider has an edge over its rivals and added, “We are a native digital business publication. Our model is better serving digital readers than the digital operations of a lot of traditional companies. It is not the thrust of the publication for a lot of traditional publishers – digital is a secondary concern. We are reaching a new generation of readers… 10 years younger than competitors. We are not trying to be a newspaper; we are not trying to produce TV journalism. We are 100% focused on digital.”

By: Savita V Jayaram

Lack of talent in emerging technologies is top internal barriers to growth for media companies

Lack of talent in emerging areas like technology and the Internet are becoming a significantly bigger problem in 2014, according to the Econsultancy media growth report. In 2013, 40 percent of the respondents said lack of talent in emerging areas was a problem, while 49 percent said so in 2014. This could be due to the evolving needs for new advertising, Internet and Big Data technologies in the past years, and the competition for talent in the marketplace in general.

Meanwhile, the lack of senior management talent is of less concern than in 2013, according to the study. In 2013, 34 percent of the respondents said lack of management talent was a problem, while in 2014 only 22 percent said so.

World Newsmedia Network has published Global Digital Media Trendbook each year since 2006. The trendbook contains 500 data sets and 230 pages of analysis about digital media usage and revenue patterns, including this data set. To download a free executive summary, go to www.wnmn.org

Acquisition of companies on decline for all but biggest media companies

The percentage of media companies with more than $250 million in revenue expecting an acquisition in the next year grew five percentage points between 2013 and 2014, while small companies anticipating an acquisition declined across the board, suggesting that smaller companies are finding it more challenging to make acquisition deals than in previous years of the Econsultancy study.

World Newsmedia Network has published Global Digital Media Trendbook each year since 2006. The trendbook contains 500 data sets and 230 pages of analysis about digital media usage and revenue patterns, including this data set. To download a free executive summary, go to www.wnmn.org

New competitors is top barrier to grow for media companies

The top two issues that are standing in the way of growth for media companies are the entry of new competitors and the competition from free and low-cost alternatives to media companies’ products (such as offshoring). Those two tied for the top spot as the top barriers to growth, with 43 percent each, according to the Econsultancy study.

Meanwhile, innovation from traditional competitors and the move from offline to online content also have presented key challenges for media companies in 2014.

World Newsmedia Network has published Global Digital Media Trendbook each year since 2006. The trendbook contains 500 data sets and 230 pages of analysis about digital media usage and revenue patterns, including this data set. To download a free executive summary, go to www.wnmn.org

Product development tops list of media company priorities: Econsultancy

New product development and expansion of market share are the top two growth drivers for 2014, according to Econsultancy’s 2014 Media Growth Study, conducted by the Jordan, Edmiston Group. This corroborates previous years’ survey results since 2009.

“There are signs throughout the study and interviews that companies are continuing to develop new products at a feverish pace, but that there is a high priority being placed on evaluation and upgrading of existing products as well,” the study states.

However, acquisition and geographic expansion also have proven to be key areas of growth for 2014, compared to 2013. The largest change is the investment in new IP/software/technologies, a move that has been driven by a variety of industry developments, such as a new emphasis on programmatic advertising buying and selling, and big data strategies, according to the study. In 2013, only 11 percent of respondents said IP/software/technologies was a driver for growth, while in 2014, 27 percent of the respondents said so.

World Newsmedia Network has published Global Digital Media Trendbook each year since 2006. The trendbook contains 500 data sets and 230 pages of analysis about digital media usage and revenue patterns, including this data set. To download a free executive summary, go to www.wnmn.org

Online-only media companies growing revenues: Pew

Digital-native news companies, such as news and entertainment site The Huffington Post and conservative news site The Blaze, draw millions of dollars, not billions compared to traditional media, according to the Pew study, as reported by a variety of financial and news sources.

While their annual revenues only represent a fraction of traditional media’s revenues, many of these digital-only companies are growing their revenues in the double-digits, while traditional outlets are experiencing the reverse.

World Newsmedia Network has published Global Digital Media Trendbook each year since 2006. The 2014 trendbook contains 500 data sets and 230 pages of analysis about digital media usage and revenue patterns, including this data set. To download the GDMT free executive summary, go to www.wnmn.org

U.S. Internet consumers favor targeted ads: Study

When asked whether they would rather see Internet ads for random or generic products and services, or ads for products and services that reflect their interests, the majority of Zogby survey respondents (40.5 percent) said they would rather see advertising directed toward their interests, while 16.1 percent said they would rather see ads for random products and services, and 27.6 percent said they would like both. The findings underscore the popularly held belief that many people still want serendipity in their content offerings, and not just news and information tailored to their preferences.

World Newsmedia Network has published Global Digital Media Trendbook each year since 2006. The 2014 trendbook contains 500 data sets and 230 pages of analysis about digital media usage and revenue patterns, including this data set. To download the GDMT free executive summary, go to www.wnmn.org