Apple News drives BBC Science Focus growth | Forbes launches in retail with wine club

Good morning from the team at Press Gazette on Thursday, 16 April.

Press Gazette’s spring conference for media leaders discussing revenue trends for the year ahead takes place on Wednesday, 22 April, at South Place Hotel in London.

Speakers include: Sky News executive editor Jonathan Levy, director of generative AI at the BBC Peter Archer, Reach delivery director Karyn Fleeting and Guardian chief AI officer Caspar Llewellyn Smith.

The morning-long event includes a networking breakfast, lunch and three break-out discussion sessions where publishers can thrash out solutions to our industry’s most pressing revenue challenges in a safe space!

A handful of free delegate places are available, but only if you work in a leadership position at a news publisher. Apply for your place here.

🍏 I’m a bit sceptical about all-you-can-read platform Apple News being the saviour of magazines.

The revenue per reader is tiny compared to direct-sold subscriptions and the revenue split is hardly generous. Apple keeps half of the £12.99 per month users pay for access to thousands of magazines, and most of the customer data.

But BBC Science Focus has proved that if you can smash it out of the park, Apple News can transform your business. We found out how the bundled subscription service has helped the specialist consumer title double the size of its editorial team over the last few years.

READ THE FULL STORY

🍷 Business and leadership title Forbes has launched a major foray into direct retail with a new wine club.

The move comes after its affiliate marketing business was torpedoed by Google changes, which made it harder for publishers to make commission on links to external retailers, and also more than decimated its overall traffic.

Forbes SVP of consumer revenue and growth Emily Jackson explained how the new strategy is all about creating a proper engaged online community backed by significant editorial investment.

It will cost members $249 per quarter (£183) to receive 12 hand-picked bottles of vino. It is not yet available in the UK, so I will be sticking to Aldi for now.

READ THE FULL STORY

🤖 Charlotte Tobitt has spoken to the CEO of Taboola Adam Singolda about how its free AI answer engine for publishers, Deeper Dive, has transformed engagement with the adverts it sells.

Most will know Taboola for the awful suggested stories boxes it provides for publishers with links to clickbait made-for-advertising sites, offering articles like “world’s biggest hole discovered”. I’ve fallen down a few of those rabbit holes myself.

Deeper Dive actually seems to be a service which adds value to publisher websites and uses AI in a way that fairly rewards them.