Coming of age: developments in digital-born news media in Europe

Report

We examine the editorial and business strategies of 13 European digital-born news media organisations. Although the last two years have been difficult for ad-supported models, advertising remains vital for most. We see an increasing interest in subscription and membership models as long-term (but not difficulty-free) revenue sources. Digital-born news media are subject to similar pressures to their legacy counterparts. The sector is not characterised by winner-take-all economics, but on establishing lean, sustainable funding models using diverse revenue sources. Organisations continue to balance the risks and opportunities of working with platforms like Facebook and Google. Recent changes to the Facebook algorithm hurt some, but media continue to engage for reach and audience engagement. We find evidence of a flight to quality, with the difficult funding landscape and desire to build paying audiences driving an emphasis on quality rather than clicks. We also find increased interest in connecting with non-traditional audiences.

Authors: Nicholls, T; Shabbir, N; Graves, D; Nielsen, RK

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Reviewed (other)
• Publisher: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
• Place of publication: Oxford
• Publication date: 2018-12-06
• DOI: 10.60625/risj-70wt-h173
• ISBN: 9781907384523
• Language: English