“A monumental change is coming”: Apple’s first 2021 event, and what publishers need to know
Apple wrapped up its ‘Spring Loaded’ event yesterday, and there weren’t too many big surprises… except for “exposing” the mild-mannered Apple CEO as a “kind of daring superspy who can… (more)
“Everyone sees the same storyline”: Google Search rolls out Full Coverage for news stories
Google is updating search results with the Full Coverage feature; it was previously exclusive to Google News Google Search is now getting the Full Coverage feature for news results, which… (more)
“We’re not going to block advertisers and publishers from connecting”: Google
Earlier this month, in a somewhat surprising move, Google announced that it will stop using users’ browser history for ad targeting. The company also stated it won’t develop new ways… (more)
Google’s massive algo update in 2 months: Publishers concerned about WordPress’ “Gutenberg bloat”
"WordPress doesn’t seem aware of what publishers need in terms of better user experience." A major Google search algorithm update—with “wide-reaching impact”—takes effect in 2 months. This update will introduce… (more)
“Facebook has refriended Australia”: Will restore news on its platform
Australia agrees to amendments in proposed law. Facebook reverses news ban. Facebook has agreed to restore Australian news on its platform following an agreement with the government on amendments to… (more)
Publishers lose up to 20% traffic after Facebook’s news blockade, but there’s some good news
Australia wanted Big Tech to pay for news. Facebook didn’t. Rather than pay media companies in return for linking to their stories, as a forthcoming Australian law would require, the… (more)
Google’s search algorithm update with “wide-reaching impact” takes effect in 2 months: Publishers, get ready
Google’s search algorithm currently depends on certain signals like mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS-security, and intrusive interstitial guidelines. In about 2 months, there will be a major update with new page experience… (more)
Violations of Google News and Discover guidelines can now result in manual actions, “most serious of all Google penalties”
This marks the first time publishers could potentially receive manual penalties for violations of Google News and Discover policies. Google has just added 12 new types of manual action penalties,… (more)
Facebook rolls out “a new destination for news” in the UK: Will pay publishers for content
Facebook has started rolling out Facebook News—a destination within its app that features news from hundreds of leading national, local and lifestyle outlets—across the UK. Users will now be able… (more)
Google agrees to pay French publishers for news, but threatens to exit Australia if media code becomes law
In a high-stakes drama unfolding across the globe, Google indicated just how much it’s willing to bend, before it reaches what it considers to be a breaking point. First, in… (more)
Snapchat will now pay creators “more than $1 million” a day, for viral posts
Snapchat has just launched a new feature called Spotlight, to “to shine a light on the most entertaining Snaps created by the Snapchat community.” To encourage viral posts, Snapchat will… (more)
YouTube launches audio ads, to reach music and podcast listeners
YouTube is now entering uncharted territories, with the company’s first ad format without a video component, aiming to reach music and podcast listeners. Google, on its Ads & Commerce Blog,… (more)
“A new day is dawning”: Publishers gear up for a better tomorrow in the face of significant upheaval
“When disruption appears all around, when the familiar is crumbling in front of us, it can be hard to see the rays of a brighter future around the corner,” begins… (more)
Global social media ad spend jumps 56.4%, surpasses previous year in spite of pandemic
Note: Based on further clarification from Socialbakers, all ad spend referred to below relates to social media ad spending. Sharp increases in social media ad spending helped worldwide ad spend… (more)
“We now have a better outlook for digital ad spending”: US spend to grow by 21.1% in 2021, eMarketer reports
“According to revised stats from eMarketer, United States digital display spending will grow by almost 10% this year (vs. a prediction over the summer of just 6.2% growth), while overall… (more)
59% of Google users only visit a single page, and other surprising search insights for publishers
Two recent studies on how people use Google search have thrown up some surprising findings for publishers. For example, one study (of billions of search results) found that over a… (more)
“Growth to rebound by 44.9%”: Podcast ad spending to surpass $1 billion in the US
“Podcast advertising remains a bright spot of growth within digital radio. Spending on all types of podcast ads, including host-read sponsorships, will rise by 10.4% this year to more than… (more)
The buzz is back in the publishing industry
The publishing industry—badly hammered by the pandemic—finally seems to be catching a break. Publications are bouncing back, eCommerce is surging, ad spend is looking up, and there’s a sense of… (more)
“Programmatic is on the rise,” with ad spend returning to pre-pandemic levels
Programmatic ad spend is now returning to its pre-pandemic "normal" levels, according to data from MediaRadar. The number of advertisers running programmatic ads through the end of July is up… (more)
Hearst UK partners with TikTok, boosting beleaguered social media platform
Men's Health and Women's Health announce hashtag challenge with TikTok Earlier this month, the US president issued an executive order "on addressing the threat posed by TikTok," prohibiting "any transaction"… (more)