Article Micropayments, Seventeen Magazine, Hearst’s Data Research Team, New York Media’s Platform Offering, TFP Case Study: Christie’s, TFP’s Podcast Pick
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news, stories of interest, and tips for media industry pros. Check out these posts on why micropayments are an emerging revenue solution, a new direction for Seventeen magazine, Hearst’s new data research team, a “component-based” platform offering from New York Media, and more.
As Fipp reports, magazines have always been down with the idea of micropayments, meaning giving readers access to individual articles for a small fee—any way to bring in revenue, especially these days, is always welcome. The problem is, the industry has lacked payment solutions that are easy to implement and use, the article says. But with new providers and technologies like digital wallets emerging, that may be changing. Also driving the model, readers are increasingly willing to pay for content, it notes, pointing to the success The New York Times and The Guardian have seen with subscriptions and memberships (see This Week in Publishing).- Seventeen, a 75-year-old title published by Hearst, is going the way of other print magazines—or almost. The publisher announced it is reducing the magazine’s current bimonthly run to an unspecified number of “special issues” throughout the year, though WWD says there’s only one planned for 2019 so far. The brand’s focus will now be on digital and social media, as new president Troy Young institutes his plans for companywide changes.
- Also underway at Hearst is an effort to integrate and streamline all its operations, Digiday reports. As part of that, it’s creating a 12-person research team focused on measurements and data to inform editorial decision-making and increase the quality of reader engagement. In line with Young’s push to create “content with a purpose,” the team will use a new tool called the Hearst Analytics Slackbot (HANS) to examine time spent on stories, trending topics, and top e-commerce posts, the article says. “It gets people to see data as more part of their daily work life,” says Hearst’s Kate Lewis.
- Meanwhile, New York Media is looking to open up a new revenue stream with its proprietary tech, a publishing platform (called Clay) it developed a few years ago to enable greater flexibility. According to a Fast Co. post, the architecture lets developers switch out “components” as needed—much like a Lego set. Slate was the first to sign on, using it for its site redesign earlier in the year, and now Golf.com and Radio.com are following suit. Others similarly selling their software include The Washington Post, with its Arc platform, and Vox Media, which offers Chorus.
On the Technology for Publishing Blog
- TFP Case Study: When iconic auction house Christie’s embarked on a large-scale effort to reinvent how it delivers print and digital content, Technology for Publishing helped define a unified direction and approach—creating new opportunities on a global scale.
- Get up to speed! In today’s rapidly changing environment, it can be tough to stay on top of all the tech innovations disrupting the publishing industry. Check out this month’s Book Picks to learn about AI, machine learning, data strategies, and more.
- Podcast Pick: In a Digiday Podcast, Bauer Media CEO Steven Kotok discusses VC-funded business models, Woman’s World’s success, and the publisher’s plan to focus on digital and its “women’s service business” in 2019.
- ICYMI: Our InDesign Tip shows you how to convert footnotes to endnotes and vice versa. Also check out our latest handbook, Using Adobe InDesign CC 2019, for all the new and updated features in the latest version of InDesign.
Photo: Fipp
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Posted by: Monica Sambataro
