Frankfurt, Paris – 2017-09-20
“World News Publishers Outlook 2017” is a new report published by WAN-IFRA today that examines what top media executives around the world consider to be their greatest priorities, threats and opportunities.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is publishing this report based on the results of the most recent annual survey of news media decision-makers worldwide by Dr François Nel, who also wrote the report, and Dr Coral Milburn-Curtis of the Innovation Research Group, a partnership between researchers at the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Oxford.
“The study sheds light on what executives at the world’s most profitable media companies expect to be doing more of in contrast to less profitable companies,” says WAN-IFRA CEO Vincent Peyrègne. “Whatever else they are investing in, they are not prioritising ad-supported media – including social media. As their future seems to hinge on reader revenue, at least for the foreseeable future, mobile and other revenue streams like e-commerce are attractive.”
One of the key findings of the report emerged when respondents of the survey were asked, “What is the single most important risk to your news organisation’s future success?” The largest number of respondents/executives answered: their organisation’s reluctance to innovate.
“What questions should we be asking ourselves if the single biggest risk to our future success is not from outside forces but lurking inside our organisations,” said Peyrègne. “Many heritage news brands face this dilemma when it comes to completely rethinking their core business. In that process, collaboration is essential for unlocking their innovation potential. I hope this report will be a wakeup call and help to foster more collaboration among industry players, as well as across industries.”
The survey’s 22 questions looked at four areas:
The perspective of the report is truly global: the survey was available in 11 languages and received 235 responses from 68 countries across six continents: Africa, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America.
The report can be downloaded (http://www.wan-ifra.org/outlook_2017 [1]) by WAN-IFRA Members for free (charge for non-members).
Among the report’s other key findings:
ABOUT WAN-IFRA
WAN-IFRA is the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists across the world to operate free media, and provide its members with professional services to help their business prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in open societies. With formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, it derives its authority from its global network of leading news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and its legitimacy from its 80 national association members representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries.
ABOUT IRG
The Innovation Research Group (IRG) is a partnership between researchers at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, and the University of Oxford who work to develop robust insights that drive performance for innovating businesses worldwide. www.innovationresearchgroup.com [2]
Links:
[1] http://www.wan-ifra.org/outlook_2017
[2] http://www.innovationresearchgroup.com/