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BBC launches US paywall | Freelances fuming over Guardian AI deal
And the BBC fights back against news avoidance with a happy newsletter
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Welcome to your daily Press Gazette media briefing on Friday, 27 June.
Toast-dropping news from the BBC which has announced the launch of its first online paywall.
Don’t start asking for a refund on your licence fee just yet though. The paywall will only apply to readers in the US ,where the BBC is one of the top ten biggest news websites.
The move has likely been prompted by the continuing and bizarre reluctance of many brands to advertise next to news content.
Coverage of Trump continues to drive strong traffic for the BBC and other US news publishers. But this traffic is hard to monetise through advertising because marketers fear brands would somehow be tarnished by association with journalism which holds the president to account. Go figure.
In particular we hear from former Guardian blogger and neuroscientist Dean Burnett who is alarmed that hundreds of his articles have been licensed to OpenAI to train ChatGPT without consultation or remuneration.
He said: “My most well known content is on this archive, and I do not want an AI to train it on it given a choice. My particular style, my particular output, my particular insights are how I make my living.”
It is worth noting that Norway-based publisher Schibsted gave staff a bonus when it signed a deal with OpenAI and excluded freelance content.
And the CEO of the UK’s third largest local news publisher National World has wasted no time stamping his mark on the business following the departure of founder David Montgomery.
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On Press Gazette
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BBC.com launches dynamic paywall for US users
BBC's first website paywall will see US readers charged $49.99 a year.
Former Guardian blogger alarmed that work included in OpenAI deal
Freelances and news agencies not consulted or paid in publisher AI licensing deals.
National World shuts ‘vanity project’ TV channel Shots!
“It was a costly distraction, we’ve learned a lot from looking at it – mostly about what not to do.”
BBC News targets news avoiders with ‘inspiring and uplifting’ stories
The Upbeat newsletter is sent to about 160,000 people in the UK.
News in brief
Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief of US Vogue after 37 years but will remain Conde Nast's chief content officer and Vogue's global editorial director. Vogue is now seeking a head of editorial content for US Vogue. (WWD)
A US judge has ruled against a group of authors in their AI copyright lawsuit against Meta, saying they had not presented enough evidence of the market for their work being diluted. However he stressed this did not mean Meta's actions were lawful. (Reuters)
Carpenter Media has confirmed the closure of the Portland Tribune in print after 24 years, as well as two sister papers in Milwaukie and Oregon City, days after making at least six layoffs. (Press Gazette)
The Economist has revamped its app including by creating a more distinct weekday versus weekend experience and making video more prominent. (The Economist Group)