Prevention’s New Ad-Free Model, App Store Updates, Google AMP Results, 360-Degree Stock Imagery, AEM Mobile Tip: Bulk Add Custom Fonts
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing stories about Prevention magazine’s move to an ad-free business model, important updates to the App Store, mixed reviews from publishers using Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages, a new Getty Images VR unit, and more.
- While most publications continue to scramble for advertising dollars, Rodale’s Prevention magazine is steering a new course with plans to become ad-free starting with its July issue. The New York Times said the move comes partly out of necessity: Among other challenges, the title, geared toward an older demographic, has been struggling to attract advertisers more interested in millennial audiences. CEO Maria Rodale (pictured) said in the report that the ad-free business model will save the company “tons of money” by cutting operating expenses by more than 50% as well as sales staff. As part of the new plan, the title’s subscription rate will double from $24 to $48 and the price of single copies will increase as well. Other Rodale magazines will continue to run print ads, the report said.
- Ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference next week, Apple announced important updates to its App Store, including improved discovery, a new subscription revenue-sharing model, and search ads that will allow developers to promote their apps. Several news outlets reported on the changes, including TechCrunch, which said the overall goal of the “long overdue” updates is to “make the App Store feel fresh, put the right apps in front of the right users, and help App Store developers maximize their revenue in a market where acquiring and retaining users is growing ever more difficult.” In an interview with The Verge, Apple SVP Phil Schiller laid out Apple’s thinking behind the changes, focusing on the new subscription model and revenue split, and how search ads will work. Meanwhile, Digiday offered its take on the winners and losers of the updates, and Nieman Lab examined whether the subscription space on iPhones and iPads is about to get too crowded.
- Digiday also ran a review of Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages, offering a look at how publishers are faring with the recently launched initiative to load article pages faster. It said responses have been mixed, with some publishers finding that AMP is speeding load times but not increasing traffic much. For example, Slate and The Atlantic reported AMP pages make up only 4% or less of site visits even though almost all of their webpages are formatted for the program. Part of the problem is the rollout has been gradual, the article noted, though by the end of the month Google said it would extend AMP to more content formats. Also, some publishers said they remain unclear on how the algorithm works. Still, others said they’re seeing good results: “We notice real traction with our policy stories and with breaking news,” a Mic spokesperson said.
- There’s no question virtual reality is hot when it comes to movies and video games. Now companies are gearing up to apply those technologies to still photos. Recode, which called VR and 360-degree imagery “the next frontier,” reported Getty Images is adding a dedicated VR unit to its stock photography business. The company began using 360-degree image capture at the 2012 London Olympics and now plans to equip all of its photographers at the Rio Summer Games with 360-degree cameras, the article said. “While the technology is still in its infancy, along with the business models that utilize it, we expect to see VR become a key tool for visual storytelling this year,” said Getty CEO Dawn Airey.
On the Technology for Publishing Blog
- Adobe Experience Manager Mobile: In this week’s AEM Mobile Tip, Monica Murphy explains the Bulk Add Fonts option, which provides a drag-and-drop window to add multiple fonts to a project.
- TFP Infographic Pick: What happens on the Internet every second of every day? Check out our latest infographic for facts and stats on what we do when we’re connected.
Image: The New York Times
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Posted by: Monica Sambataro
