Ashley Norris

It has been a fascinating decade for The New York Times, a newspaper that has done perhaps more than any of its rivals to recalibrate online news media business models. 

Zurich-based Neue Zürcher Zeitung is one of the oldest and most respected newspapers in Europe. Yet just five years ago it was also at crossroads, losing ground to its rivals who were innovating digitally. 

Serial startup creator Nancy Spears was one of the first entrepreneurs to spot the potential of online video with the launch of genconnect (the forerunner of genconnectU) nearly a decade ago. She was also one of the first to realise the limitations of an advertising based model and pivot to a subscription based system.

When she presented at DIS 2017 Jennifer Brandel caused many of the media delegates present to look again at the process of how they make decisions in their newsrooms. Hearken, of which she is founder and CEO, offers a ‘listening first’ model supported by a technology platform that enables communities to have a much greater say in the stories that are created for them by publishers.

Formerly known as the Reader's Digest Association, Trusted Media Brands is a multi-platform media company based in New York, that boasts a portfolio of high profile brands. Over the years it had developed a strong and loyal audience for its print products, yet knew it needed to innovate in digital to survive and prosper. 

In the ongoing search for new sources of revenue, magazine publishers have always been enthusiastic about the prospect of charging readers small sums of money to read individual articles. Yet until fairly recently, monetising content in this way has been thwarted by the lack of a simple-to-implement, user-friendly solution and a fear that consumers simply won’t pay.

South Africa is a diverse country with many different cultures, languages and values, which can make it a challenging place for magazine publishers. Yet in its 34-year history, Associated Media Publishing has continually grown - delivering first class print and now digital products. It has harnessed data and technology to bring it closer to its readers, while at the same time innovating in areas like user experience and ecommerce.

Created in the midst of the digital boom of the last decade, Active Interest Media (AIM) has made a name for itself as company that has innovated in media brand extension. Across its five core media channels of magazines and websites it has developed a business that leverages the audiences that it has curated, and the expertise of its editorial and commercial teams, to offer a portfolio of services to readers and advertisers.

The last five years has witnessed a major restructuring of the magazine media marketplace with a significant number of companies either consolidating their approach by acquiring rivals, or diversifying by buying technology, events or data businesses.

If your company is in the business of targeting millennials particularly interested in business and technology, then chances are you already know a good deal about Cheddar. The live and on-demand video news network that focuses on covering innovative products, technologies and services, launched in the US a couple of years ago with the aim of filling the void of business news for young people.