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Discover now two-thirds of Google traffic | US news giants grow revenue
And how Australia's Man of Many is preparing for life after Google with launch of newsletters, podcasts and registration wall
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Welcome to this week’s Press Gazette Future of Media newsletter on Thursday, 7 August.
Google search traffic may be on the wane but it is being replaced by clicks from Google Discover, the search giant’s smartphone news aggregation feed.
Exclusive research published by Press Gazette today reveals that two-thirds of Google traffic to a range of 2,000 global news and media websites now comes via Discover rather than search, with that proportion growing all the time as AI Overviews and AI Mode stop readers from clicking through to sources.
David Buttle argues in Press Gazette that the growth of Discover allows Google to hold leverage over publishers, and so power in the debate over how it is regulated. And it could be encouraging publishers to work against their own long-term strategic interests.
He is concerned that optimising for Discover encourages clickbait headlines and frothy content in pursuit of drive-by clicks and short-term advertising revenue. He worries that this could be a distraction for publishers from investing in the more deeply reported content that can drive direct reader relationships and so prepare businesses for life after Google.
Meanwhile, Google keeps all the advertising revenue from Discover (in contrast to other aggregators, like Samsung News, which give publishers a share of advertising).
In Australia, leading lifestyle brand Man of Many has taken drastic action in response to falling Google search traffic – investing in podcasts, newsletters and adopting a registration wall to build better direct reader relationships.
And amid ongoing industry angst around the impact of generative AI on publisher business models, I have taken a closer look the results of four US-based news media giants who reported quarterly earnings this week: Thomson Reuters, News Corp, People Inc and New York Times.
It’s heartening to see these juggernauts roll onwards (although profits are flagging in News Corp’s mainly UK and Australia-based news media division).
The New York Times is in a particularly strong position as America’s leading quality online newsbrand, with subscriber growth fuelling investment in editorial and product in an ongoing virtuous cycle. Expansion into sport and puzzles has also fuelled strong advertising revenue growth in these more ‘brand safe’ areas.
On Press Gazette
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Why publishers should worry about growing reliance on Google Discover
'Increasingly precarious' to rely on Google Discover traffic and revenue.
How lifestyle brand Man of Many has changed to counter falling Google traffic
Man of Many is moving away from SEO-focused, evergreen articles.
US news giants grow revenue despite AI-driven turmoil
Thomson Reuters, News Corp, People Inc and NYT have strong quarters.
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