2. Po c Q etn
rj t u s
e io
• Exploring how the rise of the internet has effected the
financial health of traditional (newspaper, magazine)
sports journalism platforms.
• How have these "traditional" sports journalism medium’s
responded and what strategies have they implemented
to compete with the internet?
3. AS wP in l et
l , afDa
o u h
• Bay Area Newspapers:
11 local newspapers were consolidated into two regional
newspapers: The Times & The East Bay Tribune (2011)
• 8% of staff was laid off (120 jobs including 40 editors)
• Bay Area News Group President Mac Tully: “We are trying to gain
efficiencies through streamlining. We will shift more of our print
dollars to digital offerings.”
• Media Consultant Alan Mutter: “Nationwide, advertising sales -
newspapers’ primary revenue source, are half what they were in
2005.”
• Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/23/BU931KR0NC.DTL#ixzz1vMSW2BnM
4. • National Newspapers:
National newspaper advertising revenue fell 9.2% in the last year, 51.8 %
since 2003 (ad revenue has fallen for sixth consecutive year)
• Online ad revenue grew 6.8% last year
5. • National Magazines:
Sports Illustrated is down 8.4% in advertising revenue since 2007
• 8% rise in Swimsuit revenue since 2011
ESPN The Magazine is down 9.4% in advertising revenue since 2007
Source: United States Publishers Information Bureau (PIB)
6. F hin B c
ig tg ak
• Sports Illustrated launches iphone app in 2010
Since then, digital revenue has been up 22%
• ESPN The Magazine launches iphone app in 2010
• Allows users to view one free issue
Subscription price on tablet is lowered to $6.99 for six months rather than
the $6.95 per month print subscription
• App provides daily images, interviews, stories and trivia
Source: http://paidcontent.org/2010/09/23/419-espns-newest-apps-are-insider-only/
7. • ASe in D it D etn
tp a iga irc
Magazines: l io
Sports Illustrated Editor Terry Mcdonell: “We’re placing bets across the table because we don’t
know where we’re going to be in 18 months. But we’re going to grow.”
• Move to digital enables readers to access magazine anytime, on web, tablet or phone (Sports
Illustrated calls it the “All-Access Subscription Theory”)
• Newspapers:
Newspapers have gone digital as well, giving them unlimited space to publish and advertise like
never before
• Stories can now have a multiple pictures (slideshow) or even a video
• Move to digital has also spawned the “blog” section
The New York Times blog section has 66 different blogs, broken up into 11 different categories
ranging from Politics to Travel and Leisure to Sports (Washington Post - 9, Wall Street Journal -
9)
• Newspapers also on Twitter, can tweet out stories with up-to-the-minute timeliness
8. Togt
h u hs
?
• Was aware of the financial struggles that newspapers were experiencing,
but unaware of the severity (staggering revenue losses)
Did not know about the subscription deal that ESPN The Magazine was
offering with their new app (interesting strategy to entice readers into
subscription and increase viewership)
• Expected magazines financial struggles to be much worse
• Did not realize the amount of blogs that digital newspapers have
• That amount of information could never have been possible in print
(not enough money/space)
9. C n l io
oc s n
u
• Magazines
Made the move to mobile and tablet to stay technologically current
• Tablet gives magazine more features than magazine
• Video, audio, multiple images per story, sharing toolbar, comment section
Newspapers:
• The internet has made the lives of print newspapers very difficult
• Many were forced to close up shop
Those that survived the digital transition now have more journalistic power than ever before
• Endless opportunities with the internets unlimited space
