Shift in news consumption has publishers scrambling for a segment of readers
The rise of the smartphones clearly defined the direction of digital news which put an emphasis on its impact on consumption, formats and even business models.
Reuters’ Digital News Report revealed that in 2015, news accessed from smartphones increased significantly at an average weekly usage of 37 to 46 percent worldwide. Data captured within the last twelve months also suggested that two-thirds or 66 percent of smartphone users weekly use their device for news.
With the rise in demand for news on mobile, publishers responded by delivering news either through Web browsers or dedicated mobile news apps to reach a wider audience. Pew Research’s analysis of comScore data confirmed this when it reported how in 2015, 39 of the top 50 digital news websites generated more traffic from mobile devices.
However, the same Reuters report suggests that mobile news only creates a digital environment that is dominated by few known brands, while others continue to struggle to reach a global audience either through mobile or web browsers.
In 2015, the State of the News Media article detailed the financial and journalistic struggles that existed even for publishers who prioritised digital news.
First Look Media closed one of its signature news products, The Racket, before it even published a news story. The company, which launched in January 2014, endured controversial resignations from two hires, namely star Editor-in-Chief Matt Taibbi who walked out in October 2014, followed by former Los Angeles Times journalist Ken Silverstein, who resigned in 2015. Both reported having had issues with the company’s management.
Gigaom, another tech journalism outlet with over US$20 million (AU$27 million) in funding, closed without warning on March 9, 2015. It was found out that the company was unable to pay its creditors. The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) was not spared from these struggles when the company blog confirmed on closing down BBC Newsbeat website and apps. According to the broadcaster, the measure is part of a BBC extensive list of initiatives that aims to save the company £15 million (AU$29 million) online.
The changing habits of mobile news consumption and the continuing battle for global audience influenced how organisations and publishers produce and deliver relevant news that is available to a wider audience. The responsibility is identified to be that of the publishers who need to understand user’s mobile behaviour in order to answer important questions that relate to effective news delivery.
With that said, Pugpig co-founder and CEO Jonny Kaldor who spoke at the FIPP London, shared how publishers are now able to create more discoverable and engaging apps through technological advances. Kaldor identified several key developments in technology that support publisher’s thrust to create better mobile news apps.
One key factor Kaldor identified is an app’s discoverability where links within apps direct people to the web, thus forcing them out of the news app.
“Apps have been unsearchable, because audiences have to look for a specific one by knowing the exact name of the brand, and then searching for it amongst similarly branded apps,” Kaldor said.
Driving engagement also played a major role in a news apps’ success. Publishers now employ “mixed mode publishing,” which, according to a Journalism article, is the ability to weed out fresh content while publishing weekly editions. Push notifications also play a major role in tailoring news to specific readers.
Mobile business and financial news apps, Born2Invest, reveals how push notifications have helped the brand reach more than 80,000 monthly active users barely a year after its launch in September 2015.
The mobile business news app effectively curates and delivers 80-word news summaries to its readers. Its ability to deliver localised news clearly differentiates it from the other news app. Born2Invest is currently available in 24 languages with the intention to break into more than 150 markets all over the world in a couple of years.
Kaldor also noted that vast channels available today draw more people into news outlets. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are just some of the trusted brands where people turn to for news apps.
“It is an extremely confusing landscape, which means you have to get your editorial processes in order, servicing as many of these channels as you like in a way that doesn't cost you the earth," said Kaldor.
Various mobile news apps, whether new entrants or long-time news providers, have invaded the digital landscape, thus they are harder to keep track of. Still, with the onset of technological innovations such as mobile devices and platforms, mobile news apps are given the chance to develop more functional apps that can deliver relevant news to specific readers.
