‘Historic’ Disney-Fox Deal, Journalism Predictions, 2018 Design Trends, 2017 Game Changers, TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news, stories of interest, and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing posts about Disney’s “historic” 21st Century Fox deal, Nieman Lab’s 2018 predictions series, what to expect in design next year, 2017 trends likely to gain traction ahead, and more.
As expected, Disney announced it’s buying most of 21st Century Fox’s assets in a $52.4 billion deal that will spin off Fox Broadcasting into a new publicly traded company. Among the cable network properties Disney gets are FX Networks, National Geographic Partners, and Fox Sports Regional Networks, according to Variety, which called the merger “historic.” Disney also will acquire Fox TV shows, digital properties, and popular movie franchises like Avatar, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool. Meanwhile, the Fox News Channel, the Fox Business Network, Fox Sports, and other investments will be part of the new Fox Broadcasting company. The deal represents “a blockbuster union that would radically transform Hollywood into a land of fewer giants,” a Los Angeles Times report says.- Each December Nieman Lab runs a series of predictions for the coming year, straight from those working on the front lines of media. And this year’s contributors don’t disappoint with great insights on a wide range of industry topics, including new revenue streams and business models, emerging media forms and technology, the future of platforms and social media, newsroom work environments and the impact of women leaders. With big changes a given in 2018 and beyond, the series provides a good picture of some of the trends we’re likely to see.
- Other industry predictions included a post on Fast Company that looks at top design trends in 2018. Media design folks, industrial and systems designers, technology experts, and others offer their views on everything from user-friendly politics and inclusivity to artificial intelligence and the shift away from digital. Notably, the article says, interviewees “shared that they feel an urge to make 2018 a better year than the last. In their plans, you’ll hear the optimism and self-reflection that only a year like 2017 could inspire.”
- For its part, Folio highlighted 2017 game changers that it says “almost certainly will have a deep impact on the survivability of media businesses into the future.” Included are voice-activated apps (see this week’s infographic pick below), pushback against the duopoly, first-party data, skinny bundles, and artificial intelligence. Stay tuned!
On the Technology for Publishing Blog
- Amazon Echo, Google Home, and other voice-activated digital assistant products are growing in popularity, meaning publishers, marketers, and brands will have to take a whole new approach to audience engagement. Check out our infographic pick to learn more about the challenges and opportunities of this new reality.
- ICYMI: TFP’s Media Metrics roundup includes the latest on digital-first in newsrooms, Snap’s disappointing user growth, average time spent with media, and more. And our latest InDesign Tip explains how to filter long font lists to show similar fonts or fonts in the same class.
- Coming next week! CEO Margot Knorr Mancini wraps up the year with a review of 2017 and thoughts on what’s to come in the year ahead.
This Week in Publishing will be on holiday break until Friday, Jan. 5. Wishing you all happy holidays!
Image: Rob Dobi/Variety
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Posted by: Monica Sambataro
