Articles
Ad Markets Struggled in Q3
When the economy gets rough, the first budget to go is marketing. It’s the most manageable variable expense for a CFO to…
The Best First Party Data Comes From Paying Customers
Throughout the years I have written A Media Operator, I’ve offered different ideas about tactics to acquire first-party data. Whether it’s a…
Why I Ultimately Soured on Programmatic
When I joined CoinDesk, I had no intention of being in the ad business. I was hired as the marketing director and…
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Bloomberg an Example of 1st-Party Data Done Right
It’s been a couple of weeks since Bloomberg revealed that it was removing 3rd-party programmatic advertising from its site. In an Adweek…
Building and Monetizing Research Panels
Most of us have used surveys in one shape or form at our publications. These surveys ask many questions to understand better…
A Case For News Corp Splitting Further, Not Merging
It often feels like the big winners in business are the lawyers and bankers that help with merging and splitting businesses. While…
Three Steps to Effectively Monetizing Data
When I write about 1st-party data, I often talk about it as this Holy Grail that will revolutionize your business. But as…
The Washington Post Leans Into Price Lever to Grow Subscription Revenue
When many operators think about increasing their subscription revenue, getting more people to sign up is the first thought. However, another way…
Consumer Media is Learning That Data Is the Product
I have found that many in the content world struggle to understand that content is a means to an end versus the…
NYT Rationale for The Athletic Comes into Focus
It has been ten months since The New York Times agreed to acquire The Athletic for $550 million. The dream of bolstering…
The Right Type of Strategic Buyer
Most of the M&A I write about on A Media Operator deals between media or media-like companies. Informa bought Industry Dive. NewsCorp…
Hard News Struggling to Keep People’s Attention
The hangover from Trump losing the election in 2020 continues to give headaches to news organizations. Press Gazette analyzed the 50 biggest…
Three Areas to Think About as Economy Wavers
Before I went to Italy and got COVID, I went to the gym three times a week. One of the things I…
A Creator/Operator Deal That Fits the Right Strategy
Although the creator economy continues to have the air sucked out of it with a contraction in ad spending, legitimate brands have…
Creating Tiered Paid Products to Maximize Revenue
Many publications view their subscription businesses as a few tiers on a marketing funnel, with the bottom comprising the paid subscription. Once…
The Potential Limitation of a House of Brands
The key difference between a branded house and a house of brands is, ultimately, which brand reigns supreme. With a branded house,…
The Washington Post Should Commit to Local
When there’s someone making news in the White House day after day, the news business thrives. But when things get boring—or people…
Could Media Companies Soon Collectively Negotiate Against Platforms?
One inherent disadvantage of media companies when talking about platforms is their size. Compared to Facebook or Google, a publisher will never…