Last chance to save on Digiday Publishing Summit passes is February 9
There’s undeniably a supply and demand problem in digital media. Simulmedia CEO Dave Morgan told Digiday it would be what kept him awake if he was a publisher. In Ad Age Gene Hoffman goes a step farther. The CEO of subscription tech service Vindicia says that the digital media world is trapped in an unrelenting “race to the bottom” that will force niche publishers into tough choices and could spell the end of the mostly open Internet content world.
“This is the fundamental problem with the present-day advertising model,” he writes. “To build the necessary scalability to attract and retain advertisers who support the underlying business, online media companies have to forgo niches. These are the business imperatives for advertising-supported media businesses.”
Hoffman’s solution, naturally, is more subscription services, something his company happens to offer. Still, his point holds that the Internet content model is askew when a shining star like The Huffington Post comes by its success by publishing up to 1,000 pieces of content per day. Morgan recommends publishers take a page out of the book of Zynga with its multiple revenue streams — and the way a small percentage of its audience pays to support a much larger audience.
More in Media
TikTok moderation has pushed some news creators to the limit
TikTok news creators like Taylor Lorenz and Aaron Parnas on the platform’s moderation and engagement woes, and how the new U.S. ownership could further affect that.
Forbes tests prediction platform as engagement strategies move past search
Instead of letting users bet real money on news, Forbes is gamifying predictions to boost onsite engagement, and foster reader loyalty as it shifts away from relying on traffic.
Bold Call: AI will rewrite publishers’ websites in 2026
This year, publishers will use AI to transform static sites into dynamic, personalized and reader-driven experiences.