Interesting Reads. Industry news that you may have missed.
The New York Times digital paywall business is growing as fast as Facebook and faster than Google – Recode
When it comes to The New York Times, people will pay for news. The Times’ online subscription business has cultivated over 2.2 million paying readers with an additional 400,000 paying for the company’s standalone Crossword and Cooking apps. Most significantly, The New York Times brought in $340 million in online subscriptions for 2017, a 46 percent spike over the previous year.
BuzzFeed Had 65 Billion Video Views in 2017. But What Does That Mean for Ad Dollars? – Variety
Last year, Buzzfeed was ranked the #1 media company in online video. The company delivered a massive 64.8 billion views on Facebook and YouTube but generated revenue on only a fraction of the bulk of those views. Tasty, Buzzfeed’s largest single video property, delivered about one billion branded-content views, which captured the top spot among Facebook branded-content partners.
Space Photos of the Week: Even Geriatric Mars Rovers Know How to Snap Selfies – Wired
This week, the Opportunity Rover broke the record for long-distance deep space roving. In its 14 years on Mars, Opportunity has driven over 18 miles on Endeavor Crater. Currently, the rover is driving around Perseverance Valley and even captured a ‘selfie moment’ while searching for evidence of past water on Mars.
The PGA Tour’s Plan to Get More—and Younger—Fans – The Wall Street Journal
For decades, professional golf has had a stable business model. But as time evolves, the landscape for the Tour grows more complex and shifts towards increasing new fans. The Tour plans to target millennials as well as ‘sports socialites’ interested in more than the competition to generate a wider audience.
The 4 Dimensions of Digital Trust, Charted Across 42 Countries – Harvard Business Review
Digital trust initiatives continue to capture headlines. From Facebook’s “meaningful” posts to Google’s website blocking, these trust-building strategies underscore our digital evolution and use of new technologies. The Fletcher School at Tufts University and Mastercard have taken on the challenge of measuring this issue by launching a research initiative to address the state of digital trust across 42 countries.
