We’re excited to unveil the Toolkits Show, our new podcast making sense of the major themes, trends, and developments shaping the business of content.
In each episode, we explore how publishers are monetizing digital content, how content is transforming modern brands and companies, and hear from the people and personalities at the industry’s cutting edge.
In this week’s episode:
To license or sue?
OpenAI has signed licensing deals with French newspaper Le Monde and Spanish publisher Prisa. Under these deals, French and Spanish-language news content from these publishers will help train the startup’s models. Already, similar deals have been struck with the Associated Press and Axel Springer. But on the other side: Publishers like the New York Times are embarking on what promises to be a drawn-out legal fight. The company has sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. Increasingly, publishing companies will find themselves having to choose between two camps: Should they license their content? Or should they sue?
Is “going direct” back?
“Going direct” was a hot mantra for many tech companies a couple of years ago. Popularized by companies like a16Z and Coinbase vowing to launch their own media operations as a way to “go direct” to audiences, the term largely quietened down after a16z shut down Future.com and Coinbase’s content endeavor never materialized. However, the launch of a new PR firm indicates that we’ll see more founders get involved in communications and content in an effort to speak directly to audiences.
Brands get creative with “ad space”
Brand-owned publications are increasingly attempting to directly monetize the content they create, either by charging their audiences or third-party marketing partners. But selling ad space isn’t easy, and it’s far from a core competency for brand publishers and content teams operating within non-traditional media companies. At the same time, many are finding the strongest demand for the audience attention they’re generating is coming from other departments and teams within their own companies. That’s prompting some to rethink how they can use ad inventory that they’ve already generated.
What consumers think of publishers’ subscription products
With more content placed behind paywalls, many consumers are now thinking more carefully about how and why they’re paying to access it. Some are broadening their subscription portfolios while others are scaling back. And although overall satisfaction with publishers’ subscription offerings is growing, frustrations with cancellation processes and restricted content continue to mount. To better understand consumer perceptions of publishers’ subscription products and approaches, Toolkits conducted a first-of-its-kind consumer study in partnership with research and insights firm National Research Group.