to i ncrease t he nu mber of subscr ibers we have on ou r websites a nd apps.
Couple that with the terms on offer from Apple, and it just wasn't an
attractive proposition.”
In another effort to maximise reader revenue, last year both Nine
and News Corp Australia ended their distribution contracts with news-
agents across Sydney metro areas outside of the CBD. Instead they
opted for a distribution company that would give them a more direct
relationship with customers.
This decision put pressure on News Corp’s Sydney papers The Daily
Teleg raph and The Sunday Telegraph, with the combined papers losing
more than 34,000 paid subscribers over three years.
“News Corp Australia’s strategy is to grow profitable subscriptions
across print and digital,” a spokesperson for the company tells AdNews.
“A yea r ago, i n NSW, we reduced ou r rel ia nce on low-pr iced subscr ip -
tions resulting in a short-term reduction in subscriber volume.
Since then, we have seen growth in digital subscriptions at News Corp
Australia, including with The Daily Telegraph."
The traditional newspaper may not be able to compete with digital
giants, but it’s still important for marketers who are interested in
long-term brand building.
Wh i le bra nds w i l l cont i nue to t u r n to plat for ms such as G oogle Sea rch2019, while print advertising stag-
nated at around $133 million.
News Corp Australia has fol-
lowed this trend of increasing
digital subscriptions while print
declines, with The Australian
and The Weekend Australian
reaching 164,968 paid subscrib-
ers across print and digital last
year. The company also passed
500,000 paid digital subscrib-
ers in 2019.
To help boost revenue from
readers, businesses have also
been prioritising it in their nego-
tiations with tech companies.
Recently, Nine was one publisher
which refused to sign up to
Apple’s news subscription ser-
vice, Apple News Plus.
“We looked at their terms
which were non-negotiable, and
the answer to that was a resound-
ing no, so we chose to pass,” says
Eisman. “The other thing, which
is a broader strategic point, is
that our most loyal readers are
those who are visiting our site
and have a direct relationship
with us.
“Our starting position is we
always favour efforts we can make
Agenda