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The era of ad-free publishing is ending: The Media Roundup

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The era of ad-free publishing is ending

We’re coming back from hiatus in a few weeks with a special episode examining broadcast media and streaming. It’s impossible to discuss the nature of streaming in 2022 without acknowledging that Netflix is launching a new ad-supported option, when its ad-free nature was once its key selling point. Well, as Simon Owens notes, that’s part of a wider reevaluation of how ads fit into audiences’ media consumption:

“As The Athletic’s chief commercial officer Sebastian Tomich told Adweek, ‘I truly believe that premium digital ads are not something that people are paying to get out of. People are paying for the journalism – and as long as we don’t introduce a bunch of bad ads that get in the way of the experience, we are confident in our ability to grow both businesses side by side’.”

That all rings true. However, we recently learned that desktop adblocking has returned to pre-2018 levels. That, to me, suggests that there are both some people who think that all ads are bad ads – and that some other publishers don’t actually care provided they’re generating enough revenue.

Future makes editorial layoffs despite ‘high’ revenue projections

Yesterday we reported on the very good news for Future when it comes to its revenue forecasts. Unfortunately that good news will be scant comfort for the employees it’s laying off. That stings, especially since it has among the largest pay discrepancies between average employees and executives in publishing.

What’s Ethereum (ETH) merge? And what does it mean for publishers?

Long story short, one of the major two currencies has significantly cut down upon its energy cost. That means that publishers reticent to get in on crypto due to the environmental cost might be rethinking their decision. Maybe.

National Geographic Kids Magazine goes 100% plastic free

Hey but speaking of environmental costs – the Nat Geo Kids magazine is moving to a plastic-free publishing model. That’s great news, both from the perspective of those of us who like being alive and for the brand itself, which is now more ethical and can appeal to advertisers/sponsors as such.


This content originally appeared in The Media Roundup, a daily newsletter from Media Voices. Subscribe here: