For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ll be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from podcasts and newsletters to advertising, subscriptions, trust and more. Our ninth episode looks at how the bubble has burst around many of the emerging technologies that had previously excited the industry, and where publishers are looking now for innovation.
The 'crypto winter' has set back many of the projects we saw begin in last year's exploration of emerging technology. The crash began early in 2022 due to rising interest rates and macroeconomic factors, and as even supposedly 'stable' cryptocurrencies hit problems, confidence in the market plummeted. This in turn hit the NFT market, with trading volumes collapsing 97% in September from a peak in January 2022.
Although many publishers aren't forthcoming with less positive updates about NFT and Web3 projects, the closure of CNN's Vault by CNN - a marketplace selling collectible NFT 'moments' tied to major news events - is likely a good indicator of how others are faring. Crucially, this has raised issues of trust with audiences who believed NFT projects from publishers to be a safer bet than those touted by so-called 'crypto bros'.
Facebook's all-in bet on the metaverse certainly put AR and VR experiences at the top of the agenda for brands this year. Publishers have rightly been much more cautious, waiting to see a solid commercial proposition before jumping in. But some have taken the opportunity to experiment early, from Vogue's Business and Yahoo Metaverse Experience to B2B magazines like Management Today. However, user numbers for even the most well-known metaverse platforms are still far below what is needed to justify longer-term plans.
It's not all doom and gloom for emerging technology though. AI imagery and video has taken great leaps forward this year, with projects like Dall-E showing early promise to transform visual content creation. This tech may not be as sexy as the metaverse and Web3, but is more likely to make a tangible difference to how publishers work in the next few years.
Our guest expert this week is Simon Owens. Simon is a media industry journalist who edits an industry newsletter that covers everything from the Creator Economy to traditional media. He also hosts The Business of Content, a podcast about how publishers create, distribute, and monetise digital content.
This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report.
This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy.
poool.tech | @PooolTech
Director of the Reuters Institute Rasmus Kleis Nielsen on why we get news subscriptions wrong
Quartz CEO Zach Seward on charting a new course for the business lifestyle brand
Mr. Magazine Samir Husni on why magazines are new media
Yahoo Lifestyle Southeast Asia Editor in Chief Reta Lee on identifying emerging content trends
Media Voices Conversations: Pugpig's Jonny Kaldor on the state of the digital publishing market
Think Publishing CEO Ian McAuliffe on perfect staff and clients
Axios' Media Reporter Sara Fischer on crafting informative newsletters and media coverage
The Economist's Deputy Editor Tom Standage on why newspapers should predict the future
Special: Highlights from Media Moments 2020
Prima Editor Jo Checkley on meeting increased demand for print magazines
Inc. Editor-in-Chief Scott Omelianuk on how 2020 has changed the magazine
Project 23 co-founder Gary Rayneau on building diverse and inclusive media
Media Voices Conversations: The value of the open internet to advertisers
OutThere Editor in Chief Uwern Jong on creating a luxury brand for inclusive travel
Lessons from award-winning publisher podcasts: The Week Unwrapped’s Arion McNicoll
Vox Media Executive Producer Erica Anderson on creating extraordinary podcasts
Lessons from award-winning publisher podcasts: Bestseller’s Casimir Stone
AgriBriefing CEO Rory Brown on growing niche media
Man cannot live by newsletter alone: the realities of going solo as a journalist
Lessons from award-winning publisher podcasts: Nature's Benjamin Thompson
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
NABOR® TALKS
U.S Property Podcast
Aligned Money Show
The Ramsey Show
Planet Money