The media is pivoting to video again
PLUS: Why ebooks never replaced their print counterparts
Welcome! I’m Simon Owens and this is my media industry newsletter. If you’ve received it, then you either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you.
If you fit into the latter camp and want to subscribe, then you can click on this handy little button:
Let’s jump into it…
Publishers turn to vertical video to compete with creators and grow ad revenue in 2026
Lots of media companies are rolling out vertical video feeds on their own websites, assuming that the format’s popularity on TikTok and Instagram will translate to news sites. But what they’re missing is the powerful recommendation algorithm that made TikTok — and its many imitators — so successful. Over the past 15 years, publishers have struggled to get users to watch video on their websites without resorting to gimmicks like autoplay. [Digiday]
Cooking Apps Are Publishers’ New Secret Ingredient
Several major media outlets have recently launched cooking apps as a way to regain control over their audiences, especially now that AI chatbots and big tech platforms are diverting traffic away from traditional recipe pages. Once someone downloads a dedicated recipe app, it becomes much easier to turn them into a repeat user of that content. [Adweek]
ICYMI: How Mignon Fogarty launched a massively successful series of online courses
She isn’t just one of the world’s most popular podcasters; she’s also an incredibly innovative media entrepreneur.
Prediction giant Kalshi strikes a new media partnership with CNBC, days after its CNN deal
From Business Insider:
Kalshi is ramping up its media partnerships with a new CNBC deal.
The popular prediction site has a new multi-year partnership with the business news giant that will put Kalshi’s real-time prediction data across CNBC’s channel, site, and app, starting in 2026.
Kalshi reached a similar data integration deal with CNN on Tuesday. That day, Kalshi also announced that it had raised $1 billion from investors at an $11 billion valuation.
I’m noticing a pattern with media outlets justifying their licensing deals with prediction markets by claiming there’s some journalistic value — that the data will somehow make viewers better informed about future outcomes. But I’m skeptical these partnerships offer anything beyond creating more gambling addicts. Media companies should stop pretending this is anything other than a cash grab.
Inside the NYSE’s surprising partnership with TBPN, the LA-based video podcast dominating tech media
From Fast Company:
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is announcing that it has inked a partnership with the live video podcast TBPN, becoming the show’s exclusive exchange partner.
The deal marks another feather in the cap for TBPN, which has become one of the most-talked-about financial and tech-focused media startups in only 11 months, and also marks a further cross-generational shift into new media by the NYSE, which itself is 233 years old.
TBPN is an interesting media startup to watch because it’s one of the few that have attempted to recreate the kind of ambient TV format of live cable news. It even mimics CNBC’s approach of running a live stock ticker at the bottom of the screen. The outlet has a relatively small live audience, but it’s incredibly good at distributing its clips across social media, so it’s able to punch far above its weight when it comes to daily reach.
I’m looking for successful media entrepreneurs to feature in my newsletter and podcast
I am consistently on the lookout for successful media entrepreneurs to interview for my podcast, whether it’s a solo creator or someone running an entire team. I want to feature people who are killing it with YouTube videos, podcasts, newsletters, or virtually any other type of digital content. I’m especially eager to talk to folks who have really interesting business models.
If this interests you, I created a special landing page for folks who want to pitch me.
Why Print Never Died
From Jane Friedman’s blog:
Notwithstanding predictions by ebook pioneers of a paperless world; notwithstanding denunciations by indie anarchists that the feudalist book business was on the verge of collapse; notwithstanding publishers’ struggles to adapt their superannuated industry to a dazzling new technology—the print book industry did not founder. In fact, not long after the first wave of electronic books swept readers up at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, print went on to thrive and thrives to this day. According to Statista, “Print … remains the most popular book format among U.S. consumers, with 65 percent of adults having read a print book in the last twelve months.” While ebooks maintain a significant place on the reading spectrum, they have proportionately lost ground since their debut early in the 2000s.
It really is quite amazing that ebooks managed to become a huge industry without doing much to cannibalize purchases of print books. The same can be said for the audiobook market — it’s also expanded drastically over the past decade without eating much into print sales.
My theory for why this happened is that ebooks mostly ended up serving the super readers — those who will read sometimes dozens of books in a single month and simply need a cheap and easy way to purchase those books. In fact, a huge proportion of ebook reading comes through Kindle Unlimited, which allows you to pay a single subscription price and read as much as you want. This theory explains why the mass market paperback format — which used to serve super readers in the pre-ebook days — is quickly dying.
Meanwhile, most casual book readers — which probably describes the vast majority of people — are perfectly fine just lugging a print book around for weeks at a time. What’s more, they actually enjoy the tactile experience of reading a print book.
Amazon’s Streaming Numbers Are Not What They Seem
Amazon operates one of the biggest streaming apps, but unlike Netflix or Disney+, much of its viewership comes from third-party streaming services that sell subscriptions through its platform — companies like Starz, HBO Max, and Paramount. As a result, Amazon doesn’t need to produce many major original hits to stay competitive. This distinction doesn’t matter much to the average viewer, but it creates a major headache for industry analysts trying to measure the relative popularity of each streaming platform. [Puck]
(BTW, I used a gift link so you can access that article for free.)
If you get any value out of my newsletter or podcast…
…please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Subscribing gets you access to a huge and growing index of media case studies. Use the link below and get 20% off for your first year:
Netflix sells game studio Spry Fox back to its founders
From Game File:
Seattle-based game studio Spry Fox, founded back in 2010 and purchased by Netflix in 2022 is soon to be independent once more.
The studio has been developing an ambitious massively multiplayer online game called Spirit Crossing for Netflix, but is being spun off by the streaming company. Spry Fox’s founders will once again own the studio.
I always think it’s cool when a massive media conglomerate gives a company back to its founders rather than just shutting it down. Sometimes these big media companies make bad acquisition decisions that don’t ultimately align with their strategic visions, but that doesn’t mean the acquired startup can’t continue to thrive as an independent entity.
Google is experimentally replacing news headlines with AI clickbait nonsense
From the Verge:
Google [Discover] is experimentally beginning to replace the original headlines on stories it serves with AI nonsense …
In the seeming attempt to boil down every story to four words or less, Google’s new headline experiment is attaching plenty of misleading and inane headlines to journalists’ work, and with little disclosure that Google’s AI is rewriting them.
Not sure why Google even feels the need to rewrite headlines given that editors are generally good at picking out the most important news from a story and making that the headline.
What’s coming down the pipeline…
Tomorrow I should have an article and podcast episode about an independent cycling media outlet that launched in 2023 and is entirely funded through paid subscriptions.
Are you following me on social?
You can follow me on Substack Notes, Threads, my private Facebook group, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Twitter.