Four years ago, most of us wouldn’t have predicted award-winning TV series would stream their debuts on websites like Netflix and Hulu, never to be aired on cable or network television.
Likewise, most of us wouldn’t have imagined we would get news updates on our watches.
During my four years as the Newspaper Association of America's CEO, I have watched nearly every media industry shift dramatically in response to ever-changing technology and our audiences' consumption habits.
The newspaper industry has been around far longer than radio, television or telecommunications, and some critics have questioned how we will stay relevant in today’s digital world.
But the numbers speak for themselves: In the United States, the newspaper digital audience is skyrocketing, reaching 176 million unique visitors across all platforms in March, according to comScore (a technology company that measures analytics). Circulation revenue is also rising, both in the United States and around the world. According to the 2015 World Press Trends Survey, global newspaper circulation revenue exceeded advertising revenue for the first time ever.
Newspapers are leveraging technology and audience data to create new content, products and services that attract audiences and advertisers. The appetite for quality content and information is insatiable, and over the last few years, we have transformed into an industry that adopts the latest developments in social, mobile, print and video to better reach consumers with interesting and engaging content.
Here's how the news industry has evolved:
Social media. Newspapers are successfully tapping into our desire to remain “plugged in," up to date on the latest happenings. USA Today, for example, uses Snapchat to cover live sporting events through instantly delivered photos and captions. Periscope, Twitter’s live-streaming service that debuted in the spring, is being leveraged by reporters and media outlets to give viewers the inside look at breaking news, sports events, and even political press conferences. The New York Times even used WhatsApp, a messaging app incredibly popular outside the United States, to broadcast information about the Pope’s visit to South America to its international audience.
Apps. Newspapers have developed niche apps with customized content — such as the New York Times Cooking App and the Denver Post’s Colorado Ski Guide — to build on popular features and further engage specific audiences looking to more deeply explore their areas of interest.
Print special features. In response to readers’ desires for quality leisure-reading, newspapers have begun offering expanded Sunday sections, such as the Philadelphia Inquirer’s new lifestyle section, “Live, Life, Love.” Similarly, the Chicago Tribune has doubled its opinion pages, following growing reader interest in local commentary.
New revenue streams. Advertisers still take notice of the growing audience and continued demand for newsworthy, useful content. This has inspired recent interest in native advertising, or sponsored content, as a way to provide advertisements that don’t disrupt the reader experience and still provide valuable information. And today, advertising is just one part of a fully diversified revenue stream, which includes event marketing, digital marketing services and increasing circulation content.
Much has changed in four years, and I can say with confidence that the newspaper industry is poised to continue evolving with new technologies and engaging content in the years to come.
Caroline Little is the Newspaper Association of America's president and CEO.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LITTLE: Newspapers evolve with audiences' needs