The Press Gazette recently ranked news brands according to their digital subscriber prowess.
Emerging as the champ, The Athletic—now part of the New York Times family—boasted an impressive 16% of website visitors who are digital subscribers.
Hot on their heels were Barron’s and the Wall Street Journal, while Nikkei and the Weather Channel brought up the rear.
While these rankings provide a glimpse into the world of digital subscription success, it’s crucial to remember that they’re ballpark figures, given the varying ways publishers report their numbers.
Factors like how long a publisher has had a paywall in place and whether it’s a national or local brand can significantly influence conversion rates.
But fear not!
Publishers are evolving and becoming increasingly adept at charming readers into subscribing, irrespective of whether they employ a hard or soft paywall.
Although global subscriptions hit a speed bump at the end of last year, INMA remains optimistic, forecasting a 52% surge in digital subscription volume and a 47% uptick in revenue by the third quarter of this year compared to early 2021.
(INMA stands for the International News Media Association.
It is a global organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing the media industry’s growth and development.
INMA provides its members with insights, best practices, and networking opportunities to help them innovate, transform, and succeed in the evolving media landscape.
The association consists of media professionals from various segments, including news publishers, content creators, and digital media experts, who work together to share knowledge and drive success in the industry.)
News publishers have refined their skills in retaining subscribers, ensuring they stick around for the long haul.
The real challenge now lies in capturing the attention and wallets of those who are less wealthy or merely occasional consumers of news.
As the digital news landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how publishers rise to the challenge and tap into the untapped potential of this tricky, yet promising market segment.
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