SlideShare uma empresa Scribd logo
1 de 36
Baixar para ler offline
IGITALNEWSPROJECTDIGITALNEWSPROJECTDIGITALNEWSPROJECTDIGITALNEW
NEWS ALERTS AND
THE BATTLE FOR THE
LOCKSCREEN
NIC NEWMAN
CONTENTS
About the Author 5
Acknowledgements 5
Methodology 6
Executive Summary 7
1. The Notification Landscape and the Role of
News 10
2. News Notifications in Detail 15
3. Current and Future Developments 25
4. Conclusions and Recommendations for
Publishers 30
References 32
5
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
About the Author
Nic Newman is a journalist and digital strategist who played a key role in shaping the
BBC’s internet services over more than a decade. He was a founding member of the BBC
News Website, leading international coverage as World Editor (1997–2001). As Head of
Product Development, he led digital teams, developing websites, mobile, and interactive TV
applications for all BBC Journalism sites. Nic is currently a Research Associate at the Reuters
Institute for the Study of Journalism where he writes about changing audience behaviour and
the impact of technology. He is the lead author of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report
(2012–16) and the Reuters Institute Journalism Trends and Predictions (2016). He also co-
authored The Future of Online Video Report (2016).
Acknowledgements
Particular thanks are due to the team at the Reuters Institute. Research Director, Rasmus Kleis
Nielsen, Annika Sehl, Richard Fletcher, and Antonis Kalogeropoulos provided invaluable advice
with survey preparation, analysis, and interpretation. Alex Reid and Hannah Marsh helped
ensure a smooth publication process.
The author would also like to thank Stephanie Frost and David Eastbury at YouGov for
efficiency of the survey process and Jerry Latter and Kayo Hayashi for coordinating the
interviews and translations across four countries and providing expert interpretation.
Published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism with the support of Google and
the Digital News Initiative
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
6
Methodology
This research is based on a survey of smartphone users in four countries conducted by YouGov
between 26 September and 10 October 2016. Total sample size was 7,577 adults in the UK, US,
Germany, and Taiwan. The survey was carried out online. The table below sets out the sample
sizes in each country.
2
OGY
US TAIWAN GERMANY UK
Smartphone users 1881 1025 1701 1797
Smartphone users (%) 81% 98% 81% 85%
News ( and sport) alert users 679 413 475 508
Data quoted in this survey are representative of smartphone users in each country, not of the total
online population (row one above). We also look in detail at the subset of people who are users of
news and sport alerts (row three). For clarity, the base group along with the sample size is listed
under each chart and we also try to make the base group clear when quoting figures within the
text. In a few cases we use an aggregate figure, which is produced with an even weighting for each
country to produce an ‘average’ value.
We combined this quantitative approach with a series of 14 in depth interviews. These were drawn
from smartphone users who are active users of news and sport alerts. The aim was to understand
preferences of this segment more fully as well as to uncover insights about possible future use.
Participants for the qualitative interviews were recruited according to the following specification:
• A split of men/women in each country
• Half aged 18–44, half 45+
• A split of Android/Apple users
• All to have news apps
• All to receive notifications from the news apps
• All to engage with notifications frequently
• Four from Germany, the UK, and the US; two from Taiwan
In addition, background interviews were conducted with representatives of news organisations
including the BBC, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, Financial Times, and The Economist to
understand current industry practice and inform the section on future developments.
7
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
Executive Summary
As we move from a world of information scarcity to one of abundance, a key question is how
publishers and brands can attract attention and build habit. This is a pressing issue on the
smartphone, where consumers spend the majority of time with a handful of apps (Forrester
Research 2015) that in most cases do not include news publishers. Our own research (Reuters
Institute Digital News Report 2012–16) has tracked the growing importance of smartphones, the
problems of visibility for news brands, as well as the trend to use distributed platforms like social
networks to consume news on these devices.
Publishers see the combination of news apps and mobile notifications as a key channel for
rebuilding direct relationships with users on this critical device, unmediated by third parties. The
amount of consumer usage of news notifications has tripled in many countries over the last three
years (Newman et al. 2016) while news organisations have been steadily increasing the volume
of news alerts (Newman 2016). Other evidence shows that alerts from news publishers can lead
to more frequent usage of specific news apps (University of Texas 2016)1
building loyalty that
may ultimately help deliver revenue. On the smartphone, apps and notifications go hand in hand
as pings and buzzes increasingly both interrupt and engage as we go about our busy daily lives.
In this regard, the smartphone lockscreen and the accompanying notification-centres on Apple
and Android devices look set to become a critical battleground for publishers, platforms and
advertisers.
But how do consumers feel about the rising tide of alerts on their smartphones? Are they engaged
or annoyed? What makes a good or bad alert? How important is news as a notification category and
how might these alerts develop in the years ahead? These were some of the key questions we wanted
to address in this research paper using quantitative and qualitative methods across four countries.
Key Findings
News and information is the most important category for mobile alerts after personal
communication, social networks and productivity tools. Almost two-fifths of smartphone users in
Taiwan (39%) receive news alerts and a third of Americans (33%), but only around a quarter in the
UK (27%) and Germany (24%).
• The average number of alerts is around 10 per day but this can go up to more than 40 for
heavy smartphone users. Most people say they are wary of irrelevant content being pushed
to them on this most personal device. 46% say smartphone alerts feel more intrusive than
those received on other devices.
• Some countries are more resistant that others. Only a quarter of smartphone users (23%)
in the UK say they typically accept notifications when the choice is offered. This compares
with over two-fifths (44%) in Taiwan.
• Around a quarter of smartphone users have uninstalled an app because of the volume of
alerts (23%) but many of these are around gaming or shopping rather than news. Over two-
thirds of those receiving news alerts (72%) say they value the notifications they receive and
many see alerts as a critical part of the news app proposition.
• The majority of those receiving news alerts (73%) are happy with the number of alerts they
receive. Taiwanese smartphone users are most likely to complain they get too many alerts
(22%), compared with just one in ten (10%) of those in the UK.
1
The University of Texas study found that 27% of those asked to install specific apps with notifications used them daily
– or more often – compared to 12% of those asked to install the same apps without notifications.
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
8
• Apple users tend to get more news alerts but only to the extent that they tend to be
better educated and more interested in news than Android or Windows users. Take those
differences away and there is very little platform impact.
• Younger people tend to get more news alerts than older smartphone users and possibly for
that reason they are less likely to have sounds (pings and buzzes) turned on. They are also
more likely to adjust default settings in general.
Winners and Losers: Broadcast Brands Do Best
• Broadcast news brands top the list in most countries with 63% of those using news alerts
in the UK choosing BBC News. Top alert providers in the US are CNN and Fox, both of
which have driven their reputation for breaking news from the TV to the smartphone. In
Germany n-tv tops the list while alerts from ARD’s Tagesschau app also performs well.
• Only in Taiwan do we see a different pattern where Yahoo News takes top spot, partly
because TV brands were slow to get online, ceding breaking news to Yahoo.
• Most usage is currently with news brands rather than aggregators or platforms. Despite
this, the recent launch of alerts through Apple News is already starting to change this
dynamic for iPhone users and Facebook Messenger is offering new opportunities for
anyone to use this platform to deliver messaging to the lockscreen.
• Sports brands also do well in many countries, with BBC Sport in UK and Kicker in Germany
most frequently cited. Sports scores are more valued than match reports, and users of both
skew heavily male.
Which Alerts Do Best?
• Breaking news (66%) is by far the most important type of news alert that is accessed but
valued by users. This is partly because this makes up a significant proportion of alerts sent
but also because people are generally prepared to wait to catch up on less time-sensitive
news.
• In terms of tone around serious news, alerts were valued when they were delivered quickly
using straightforward language. Clickbait headlines and emojis were strongly disliked in this
context. There is far more latitude for creativity with feature content, lifestyle, entertainment,
sport, and technology.
• People click on the alert about half the time. This depends on the context and the decision
is primarily driven by type of alert, the headline, and the interest this evokes. They are happy
to receive ‘a few too many’ alerts (so they don’t miss stories) in the knowledge that they can
easily ignore them or swipe them away.
• We found significant frustration with current apps and notifications in terms of the lack
of personalised options. Beyond breaking news, there are significant unmet needs
for more relevant alerts around passions and work niches. Despite this, to date few
people had personalised their alerts when the option was available and a substantial
minority didn’t know how to find or change settings.
• In terms of prospects for growth, around four in ten (38%) of those not getting news alerts
say they have ‘no interest’ in taking them in the future. About a third (31%) might use them
if more personally relevant alerts could be sent, while an even bigger group (36%) might use
them if they could control the number and timing of alerts.
9
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
Summary
Overall, these data show the surprising extent to which news alerts are already used and valued
by existing users. Notifications are increasing the regularity with which people come back to their
favourite news brand in the face of rising competition from social networks and other aggregators.
But our research also suggests there is considerable growth potential for publishers because
(1) smartphone use continues to increase, (2) those markets where smartphones have higher
penetration have a higher number of alerts (Taiwan), and (3) younger groups are disproportionally
using notifications and building them into their daily habits.
Despite this, there is clearly a danger that a greater volume of alerts sent by publishers and
advertisers will lead to a consumer backlash in the future. In this regard, publishers should focus
as a matter of urgency on improving the relevance of their alerts through a combination of passive
personalisation and more transparent and explicit controls.
Beyond breaking news, we believe that there is a much wider range of opportunities to deliver
more relevant timely news messages, satisfying unmet needs. Crucially, improvements to
notification payloads over the next few years from mobile platforms and messaging apps will also
offer opportunities to deliver alerts with new formats and approaches. These issues are discussed
in the future development section in Chapter 3.
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
10
1. The Notification Landscape and the Role of News
In this chapter, we explore some of the findings of our survey of smartphone users on the overall
notifications landscape. This helps provide the context into which news alerts are delivered.
First-generation notifications were almost exclusively limited to text messaging (SMS), partly
because of the cost associated with each message, even if it was part of a mobile subscription
bundle. Today, most alerts and notifications are delivered though internet-enabled data
connections and are effectively free to the consumer, while scalability is relatively cheap for the
provider. They are also mainly linked to some kind of app that is either pre-installed or has been
downloaded by a user. As part of the install process, the user is often offered the chance to accept
or reject notifications, which may or may not include news.
Types of Messages
Because of the competition for attention, most popular apps, whether they are social networks,
games, fitness apps or shopping discounters, send a variety of notifications in order to drive more
regular usage or to communicate new features. Other push alerts are a key feature of productivity
apps – for example reminders about upcoming meetings linked to an electronic calendar. Work-
related communication such as email and chat apps like Slack can also add to the steady stream
of messages being pushed to users through the day.
Loosely we can group alerts and notifications into three groups:
• Personal or work-based productivity messaging (including social media, SMS and email,
calendar reminders)
• Timely news and information updates (news, sport scores, weather, and travel)
• Lifestyle and leisure alerts (gaming, fitness, health, shopping vouchers, etc.)
Figure 1.1 Percentage of smartphone users receiving different message types
Q2: Which, if any, of the following types of alerts and/ or notifications do you ever receive on your smartphone
Base: All smartphone users online, US 1881, Taiwan 1025, Germany 1701, UK 1797
Figure 1.1
64%
59%
48% 44%
34%
21% 20% 13% 13% 12%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Personal/productivity (73%) Lifestyle (24%)News/Information (37%)
72% find
these useful
89% find these
useful 62% find
these useful
Q2: Which, if any, of the following types of alerts and/or notifications do you ever receive on your
smartphone?
Base: All smartphone users online, US = 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797
11
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
In general, personal messages are most used and considered most valuable by smartphone users,
with, for example, 89% of those that receive calendar reminders finding these useful. Fewer people
use news alerts and sports scores but satisfaction levels are high (72%). Leisure alerts are generally
used less and valued less.
Number of Alerts Received
There is a similar pattern in the distribution of alerts across the four countries polled (see Figure
1.2). The median number is around ten alerts per day with a subsection of users (about 17%)
getting more than 20 alerts a day. There are fewer of these heavy users in the UK and Germany. In
general, young people (18-24s) are three times more likely to receive more than 20 alerts each day
compared with over 55s. They are half as likely to receive fewer than five alerts each day.
Figure 1.2 Number of alerts received by users by country and age
33% 35% 36%
33%
43% 44% 46% 44%
20% 18%
15% 15%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
United States Taiwan Germany United Kingdom
0‐4 5 to 19 20 +
19%
29%28%
23%
31%
17%
38%
13%
46%
10%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0‐4 20+
18‐24 25‐34 35‐44 45‐54 55+
Q4. Approximately how many alerts/notifications, if any, do you receive in TOTAL in an average
day?
Base: All smartphone users online who ever receive alerts, US = 1668, Taiwan = 991, Germany = 1465,
UK = 1494
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
12
Around nine in ten smartphone users (92%) get some kind of alert at least once a day. About
a quarter in some countries say they have uninstalled an app in the last year because of the
excessive number of alerts/type of alerts they receive. This number is greatest in Taiwan (28%) and
least in Germany (17%).
Figure 1.3 Percentage of alerts received by country compared with uninstalls because of
excessive alerts
Q5: Approximately how often, if at all, do you have sounds (e.g. ping, buzz etc.) turned on
for your alerts/ notifications? Showing all or mostly
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications , US 1668, Taiwan 991, Germany 1465, UK 1494
98%
93%
87% 90%
28% 26%
19% 17%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Taiwan United States United Kingdom Germany
Get any alerts Uninstalled app because of alerts
23% have 
uninstalled an app in 
the last year  because 
of the notifications that 
come with it
Q2: Which alerts do you ever receive on your smartphone and Q7: Have you uninstalled an app in
the last year because of the number/type of alerts/notifications it sent me?
Base: All smartphone users online, US = 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797
People generally love alerts, but there is also evidence that they can become frustrated by
irrelevant alerts and remain wary of content pushed to this most personal device. This is especially
true for users in Taiwan who receive the largest number of alerts in total.
Figure 1.4 Percentage that say they are wary of content pushed to this personal device
73%
66% 66%
59%
2% 8% 7%
11%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Taiwan United States United Kingdom Germany
Agree Disagree
AGREE
“I use my phone for my personal day to day life
and don't want it filled up with stuff I don't need”
“I don't want to be spammed with info it would
drive me insane ”
“Wary of personal details being accessed“
DISAGREE
“I am confident in my ability and knowledge to
have control of things”
Q18. To what extent, if at all, do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The personal nature of a smartphone makes me careful abou
the type of information I allow to be pushed to it
Base: All smartphone users who don’t use news alerts US= 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797
Q18. To what extent, if at all, do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The personal
nature of a smartphone makes me careful about the type of information I allow to be pushed to me
Base: All smartphone users online, US= 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797
13
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
The smartphone is also seen as more intrusive than other devices, again with the strongest negative
feelings in Taiwan. The always-on nature of the device makes many users feel persecuted by alerts.
It keeps on buzzing until you see them. It’s like bugging you all day long.
The phone is always with me. The other devices aren’t and therefore are not as much of a
nuisance.
I feel compelled to check them immediately.
Other users, particularly in the UK and Germany, feel more confident in their ability to control the
number of alerts as needed.
If I found them intrusive, I wouldn’t have them on my phone.
I spend more time on my computer so alerts on it are more irritating than those on my
smartphone.
Setting Preferences, Accepting Notifications and the Use of Sounds
Overall, younger and more confident smartphone users are more likely to control their settings.
More over-45s say they don’t know how to change settings for notifications, compared to under-
35s. Younger groups are also much less likely to have sounds on – probably because they receive
many more messages and are checking the phone more frequently.
Figure 1.5 Percentage changing notification settings by age
Figure 1.5 % changing notifications settings by age
34%
51%
28%
5%
31%
46%
29%
4%
28%
39%
22%
6%
27%
32%
16%
9%
22%
26%
12% 13%
0%
20%
40%
60%
Turned  notifications ON Turned notifications OFF Adjusted frequency of
notifications
Don't know how to change
settings
18‐24 25‐34 35‐44 45‐54 55+
Over 55s are
3x
more likely to 
have sounds 
turned on all or 
most of the time 
compared to 
U35s
Q7. Have you done any of the following over the last year?
Base: All smartphone users online, US 1881, Taiwan 1025, Germany 1701, UK 1797 Q7. Have you done any of the following over the last year?
Base: All smartphone users online, US = 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797
On average around half of all smartphone users who use alerts have sounds turned on all or most
of the time, with the highest proportion in Germany (54%) and the lowest proportion in the UK
(42%). Over two-fifths (44%) of Taiwanese smartphone users accept notifications all or most of the
time when offered. In the UK only a quarter (24%) do this. Young people are more likely to accept
notifications than older groups.
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
14
Figure 1.6 Percentage Accepting notifications in the first place
Q6: When installing a new app, you will usually be asked if you are prepared to accept
and receive alerts and/ or notifications from the app. How often do you do this?
Showing all or most of the time
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications , US 1668, Taiwan 991, Germany 1465, UK 1494
Figure 1.6 % accepting notifications in the first place
44%
34%
30%
24%
0%
20%
40%
Taiwan United States Germany United Kingdom
11%
4%
11%
5%
10%
6%
10%
8%8% 8%
0%
20%
40%
All the time None of the time
18‐24 25‐34 35‐44
45‐54 55+
Q6: When installing a new app, you will usually be asked if you are prepared to accept and receive
alerts and/or notifications from the app. How often do you do this? Showing all or most of the time
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications, US = 1668, Taiwan = 991, Germany = 1465, UK = 1494
The Impact of Platform
Google’s Android is the biggest platform in every country surveyed but Apple devices play a bigger
role in the UK and US (see Figure 1.7). The latest Apple software release (iOS 10) has increased
the prominence of alerts and introduced a range of new features that may over time considerably
change the experience (see Chapter 3). Android is on the same path and recent upgrades have
added prominence for notifications and increased the potential payload.
Figure 1.7 Percentage using each mobile platform by country
Q1: Which ONE, if any, of the following BEST describes which operating system (OS) your smartphone uses
Base: All smartphone users online, US 1881, Taiwan 1025, Germany 1701, UK 1797
28%
19%
15%
31%
47%
76%
55%
45%
%1%3 9% 8%
21%
2%
21%
17%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
United detinUynamreGnawiaTsetatS Kingdom
Apple Other (Microsoft/Blackberry)Android No smartphone/Don’t Know
Figure 1.7 % using each mobile platform by country
Q1: Which ONE, if any, of the following BEST describes which operating system (OS) your
smartphone uses?
Base: All adults online, US = 2336, Taiwan = 1044, Germany = 2093, UK = 2104
Users of the Apple operating system (iOS) tend to receive 10% more news alerts on average than
Android users, but we need to bear in mind that this is largely because they have higher levels of
education and are more interested in news. In countries where this doesn’t apply, like Taiwan, we
see no platform effect.
By contrast, Apple users in the UK get more than half (53%) of all news notifications, despite only
making up 31% of smartphone users. This may be because UK news publishers have focused
more on Apple apps than Android ones in the past.
15
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
2. News Notifications in Detail
In this chapter, we drill down into current news behaviour around news alerts using survey data
alongside insights from our in-depth interviews with news users.
The Key Numbers
Almost four in ten (39%) Taiwanese smartphone users get news alerts, compared with just a
quarter of smartphone users in the UK (27%) and Germany (24%). As Figure 2.1 shows, users
of news alerts and sports scores tend to be male, whereas users of personal messaging tend to
skew female.
Figure 2.1 News alerts by country and age
Q5: Approximately how often, if at all, do you have sounds (e.g. ping, buzz etc.) turned on
for your alerts/ notifications? Showing all or mostly
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications , US 1668, Taiwan 991, Germany 1465, UK 1494
Figure 2.1 News alerts by country and age
39%
33%
27%
24%
0%
20%
40%
Taiwan United States United Kingdom Germany
NEWS USERS  TEND TO BE MALE
Younger people use more alerts but this doesn’t 
apply to news
M F U35 55+
Personal messages 61% 67% 74% 55%
News 35% 27% 31% 32%
Sports scores 13% 5% 13% 10%
Q1: Which, if any, of the following types of alerts and/or notifications do you ever receive on your
smartphone?
Base: All smartphone users online, US = 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797
Based on the wider Digital News Report data we know that people who receive alerts are twice
as likely to be part of the relatively small news lover group that is both interested in news and
accesses news frequently, compared with more casual users.
Despite getting fewer news alerts, users in the UK say they value them more than those in Taiwan
(77% compared with 64%). This higher level of satisfaction in the UK can also be seen in the high
percentage (80%) saying they get ‘just the right number of alerts’ shown in Figure 2.2. Only one in
ten say they get too many news alerts in the UK compared with 22% in Taiwan.
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
16
Figure 2.2 Perceptions of the number of news alerts by country
Q10a: Would you say that the amount of news alerts/ notifications your currently receive on your
smartphone are too few, too many, or about the right amount?
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news , US 679, Taiwan 413, Germany 475, UK 508
Figure 2.2 Perceptions of the number of news alerts by country
22% 20%
10%
19%
68%
75%
80%
72%
7% 4%
3% 5%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Taiwan United States United Kingdom Germany
Too many news alerts Just right To few
Q10a: Would you say that the amount of news alerts/notifications you currently receive on your
smartphone are too few, too many, or about the right amount?
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news, US = 679, Taiwan = 413,
Germany = 475, UK = 508
In our qualitative interviews we found users in all countries to be generally satisfied with the
frequency of mobile news notifications. Most of those we spoke to preferred to receive slightly too
many and to put up with irrelevant alerts because they felt it was better than missing out.
I don’t want to disable my notifications. There might be something I am interested in.
(Female, US)
Users were generally confident to swipe/delete notifications if they weren’t relevant but some news
brands were specifically chosen because they could be trusted not to send too many alerts.
Tagesschau [German public broadcaster] don’t send a massive amount of notifications,
they only send the most important ones. It’s manageable and that’s important. (Male,
Germany)
The sound of frequent notifications is often seen as irritating and many tend to keep their phone on
silent/vibrate when at work but are happy to turn it on when they get home.
I don’t like getting auditory notifications. I’d like just flash-ups to tell me there is something
there, without necessarily showing me what it is. That’s obviously a bit more private. (Male,
UK)
United Kingdom
Almost two-thirds of those receiving news alerts (63%) in the UK currently receive them from the
BBC (see Figure 2.3), which has made a point of only sending a small number of alerts each day
on matters of national and international importance. The Guardian has been experimenting with
new alert formats linked to its app while Mail Online, the UK’s most popular online newspaper,
performs relatively badly with alerts. Much of its traffic comes from social media or search rather
than loyal direct traffic linked to an app.
17
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
Figure 2.3 Top brands for news alerts (UK)
63%
29%
10%
7%
7%
6%
6%
4%
4%
3%
3%
3%
3%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
0% 20% 40% 60%
BBC News
Sky News
The Guardian
ITV News
Local or city newspaper
Mail Online
The Sun
Mirror Online
The Telegraph
Huffington Post
BuzzFeed News
Breakingnews.com
The Times
Reddit
New York Times
The Economist
Smart News
Nuzzel
Quartz
Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/ notifications from?
Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts, UK = 508
The BBC sends only around 10-15
breaking news alerts each week
Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/notifications from?
Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, UK = 508
BBC Sport and Sky Sports were also the most frequently cited services in this genre. Both have
recently started to experiment with a wider range of alerts including personalised football alerts,
reminders of match starting times, and increasing use of rich media such as video.
United States
Media companies with a TV background (Fox and CNN) battle it out for top spot in mobile
notifications, building on a reputation for breaking news established via cable TV. The New York
Times is investing in a wide range of mobile alerts. Quartz has launched a critically acclaimed
‘conversational’ app, which uses notifications as a primary traffic driver. Breakingnews.com is
a start-up, which focuses just on notifications across multiple platforms including its own apps.
Others, like the Wall Street Journal and Guardian America, have been leveraging messaging
functionality within Facebook Messenger to get alerts to the lockscreen.
Figure 2.4 Top brands for news alerts (US)
23%
22%
22%
16%
14%
13%
12%
12%
12%
10%
10%
9%
7%
6%
6%
5%
3%
2%
2%
1%
0% 20% 40% 60%
Fox News
CNN
Local TV news
Yahoo news
NBC/MSNBC
New York Times
Local or city newspaper
CBS
Huffington Post
USA Today
BBC News
Washington Post
BuzzFeed News
Reddit
Breakingnews.com
MSN
Smart News
Nuzzel
Vox
Quartz
Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/ notifications from?
Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts, US = 679
Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/notifications from?
Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, United States = 679
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
18
Germany
The top brands for notifications in Germany broadly reflect the strongest online properties but again
a TV company (n-tv) overperforms. It was one of the first to develop a news app in 2009 and has
also experimented with sending alerts through WhatsApp.
Public broadcasters ARD and ZDF have a strong alert presence linked to their apps, despite
protests and at least one legal challenge from German publishers. BILD’s app is a paid-for product
which is likely to be one factor reducing the reach of its news alerts. Sport apps like Kicker are also
heavily used in Germany for football goal alerts.
Figure 2.5 Top brands for news alerts (Germany)
25%
22%
17%
17%
15%
15%
10%
9%
9%
7%
6%
5%
5%
4%
1%
0% 20% 40% 60%
n‐tv
Spiegel Online
Focus Online
Tagesschau (ARD)
BILD
N24 News
ZDFheute
Local or city newspaper
Stern
Süddeutsche/SZ.de
Welt Online
Huffington Post
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Zeit Online
Upday
Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/ notifications from?
Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts, Germany = 475
Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/notifications from?
Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, Germany = 475
Taiwan
Yahoo News is the most widely used for notifications followed by Apple News, Taiwan’s leading
Chinese-language newspaper, and UDN a popular daily broadsheet. Foreign news apps like the
BBC and CNN also perform well with younger users.
19
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
Figure 2.6 Top brands for news alerts (Taiwan)
41%
32%
22%
19%
11%
10%
10%
9%
9%
8%
8%
7%
6%
6%
0% 20% 40% 60%
Yahoo News (奇摩新聞)
Apple Daily (台灣蘋果日報)
UDN News (聯合新聞網)
EBC (東森新聞)
NOWnews(今日新聞網)
SETN (三立新聞)
China Times(中時電子報)
CTITV (中天)
TVBS News (VBS 新聞)
BBC News
CNN
Liberty Times (自由時報)
FTV (民視)
Pchome News (Pchome 新聞)
Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/ notifications from?
Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts, Germany = 679Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/notifications from?
Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, Taiwan = 413
Types of News Alerts
Breaking (66%) and world news (40%) are the most valued content types for smartphone users
who use alerts across all countries. This is not surprising as it is also currently the main focus of
news alerts sent by news organisations. Users in Taiwan are particularly interested in technology
alerts, as well as entertainment and lifestyle. Germans tend to be less interested in breaking news
(59%), compared with the other countries surveyed but are more interested in political and regional
alerts. British users have a strong interest in breaking news (64%) as well as sport scores (35%).
Finally, US smartphone users have a strong interest in political news (39%) and breaking news
(69%), though this is perhaps not surprising as our research was conducted at the height of the
2016 presidential campaign.
Figure 2.7 Interest in different types of news alerts (all countries)
66%
40%
36%
33%
28%
25%
22%
19%
17%
17%
15%
15%
11%
0% 20% 40% 60%
Big breaking news stories
World news
Local or regional news
Political news
Sports news
Business or economic news
Health or education news
Technology news
News app has updated
Science news
Environmental news
Entertainment news
Lifestyle news
Q11. Which, if any, of the following types of alerts do you find valuable when you receive these? 
Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts US 679 Taiwan 413 Germany 475 UK 508
Figure 2.7 Interest in different types of news alerts (all countries)
Q11. Which, if any, of the following types of alerts do you find valuable when you receive these?
Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, US = 679 Taiwan = 413 Germany = 475 UK = 508
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
20
Is the Notification Enough?
For many users in many contexts, just the notification itself is enough and delivers considerable
value.
It’s ideal to get 80% of information just from the notification without clicking into the full
article. (Male, Taiwan)
I unlock my phone, swipe down with my finger, get the quick view and then I see that there
was a notification. From the first few words, I usually know if it’s interesting for me or not.
And sometimes, I don’t want to read it. (Male, Germany)
At other times, and for other users, the alert is a useful prompt to click to a full article or video.
Overall, only less than half of alerts (44%) said they tap on these to receive them to get further
information, with Germans the most likely to click back to a story.
Figure 2.8 Extent to which users click on alerts to find out more
Figure 2.8 Extent to which users click on alerts to find out more
60%
43%
41%
35%
29%
45%
49% 52%
9%
11%
9%
11%
0%
20%
40%
60%
Germany United States Taiwan United Kingdom
All/Most of the time Some of the time Rarely/Never
Q13a. Approximately how often do you tap on an alert to read the full story?
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news , US 679, Taiwan 413, Germany 475, UK 508Q13a. Approximately how often do you tap on an alert to read the full story?
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news, US = 679, Taiwan = 413,
Germany = 475, UK = 508
There are currently no advertising opportunities for publishers on a lockscreen, so the aim for most
publishers is clickthough. Subscription-based and publicly funded news organisations are also
interested in bringing users back to an app where they can engage them in more content. But
there is clearly a balance to be struck around conveying new information and enticing users to click
for more.
In our interviews, we found that it was important that the language used in the notification was
factual, displaying a clear and accurate summary of the story. ‘Clickbait’ or sensationalist headlines
were viewed dismissively.
The news title doesn’t match with the content sometimes. It feels like being cheated. (Male,
Taiwan)
21
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
Tone and Language
Across markets, there was a strong sense that the language used in the notifications needs to be
sober and serious, to reflect the nature of the important ‘breaking’ news item that lies behind it.
This was particularly true in Germany, but a little less important in the United States. We explored
a range of different tones and approaches for alerts including the use of emojis and headlines that
tease or ask questions. Overwhelmingly a neutral tone was preferred but there was much more
latitude for creativity and humour with feature content, lifestyle, entertainment, and sport.
I’m not that interested in teasers because they can get a bit irritating if you want to find out
about something. (Male, UK)
I prefer facts. I don’t need to guess what it means. It should be simple and clear. I could
decide to read or not by just a quick glance. (Female, Taiwan)
Motivations for Getting Alerts
The most important reason for signing up to alerts was to keep informed about things relevant to
personal interests (59%). A further quarter (28%) said they used alerts for following topics relevant
to work interests. There is clearly a significant demand for personalised and targeted alerts. At the
same time, it is clear that users don’t want to miss out on important news. Half (50%) said that
they wanted to know about news that might affect their personal safety or that of their friends or
colleagues, perhaps not surprising given current fears about terrorist attacks, random shootings,
and crime levels in many countries. This figure was considerably higher in Taiwan (62%) and the
United States (56%) than in the UK (37%) and Germany (36%).
Four in ten (41%) said they used alerts because they wanted to be first to know about breaking
or important news. This motivation partly relates to interest in news in general but there is also a
connection with using news as a conversation starter. Almost a third (31%) said that alerts and
notifications provided something to talk about with friends and colleagues.
Figure 2.9 Reasons for using news alerts
1. KEEPING ME INFORMED ON
TOPICS RELEVANT TO ME
59%
2. WORRIES ABOUT
SAFETY/SECURITY
50%
4. SOMETHING TO TALK
ABOUT WITH FRIENDS
31%
Figure 2.9 Reasons for using news alerts
3. BE FIRST TO KNOW
ABOUT IMPORTANT NEWS
41%
Q12. Which, if any, of the following are reasons why you ever use a news (or sports news) alert
service?
Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news, US = 679, Taiwan = 413,
Germany = 475, UK = 508
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
22
Those Who Don’t Receive News Alerts
In terms of understanding the potential for growth, we also explored the motivations of those
who have not yet signed up to news alerts and looked at what features might encourage different
groups to do so in the future.
ALERT AVOIDERS
About half (51%) are deliberately avoiding news notifications on their smartphone but for a range of
different reasons. Just under a third (30%) say they are interested in news but don’t want or need
to see it on their phone. More than one in ten (14%) say they are trying to spend less time on their
smartphone, almost one in ten (8%) say they are not interested in news at all, and 8% say they
don’t want to hear about bad or negative news on their smartphones during the day.
I feel miserable when I see bad headlines. Who wants to wake up to six children dead in
Australian shooting spree?
OVERLOADED
Just over a third (36%) are concerned about being sent too many alerts or alerts that are not
relevant to them. About one in ten (8%) worry about getting distracted by the news (taking
them away from other tasks that are more important or more interesting to them) while a similar
percentage (7%) say they are trying to spend less time monitoring news. In total this group of
Overloaded users make up 43% of those not currently receiving alerts.
I just don’t want things to be constantly bombarding me.
FRIENDSTERS
There is a further group that does not sign up for alerts because they prefer to keep alerts for
messages from their friends (15%). This group has a higher proportion of young people in it
because of the focus on using smartphones to communicate with friends.
Clearly there are overlaps between these three groups of Avoiders, Overloaded, and Friendsters,
but the extent to which people can be persuaded to engage with news alerts will likely depend on
these core motivations, which in turn are based on the wider context of their lives.
23
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
Figure 2.10 Reasons for not getting news alertsFigure 2.10 Reasons for not getting news alerts
Q16. You said previously that you don't receive alerts/ notifications on your smartphone for news , Which, if any, of the
following are reasons for this
Base: Smartphone users who do not use alerts = 4329
Avoiders (51%)
Overloaded (43%)
Friendsters (15%)
36%
30%
15%
14%
8%
8%
8%
7%
0% 20% 40%
Worry about too many/irrelevant alerts
I am interested in news but I don’t want to see it on 
my phone
I want to keep alerts/ notifications mainly for my
friends
I am trying to spend less time on my smartphone
I am not interested in news
I don’t want to hear about bad or negative news
I worry about getting distracted by the news
Trying to spend less time monitoring news
Q16. You said previously that you don’t receive alerts/notifications on your smartphone for news.
Which, if any, of the following are reasons for this?
Base: Smartphone users who do not use alerts = 4329
Potential for Growth
In the light of these reasons for rejecting news alerts, we asked users what might encourage them
to sign up. Around four in ten (38%) said nothing could persuade them to do so. A significant
proportion of these were Avoiders who have decided that the smartphone is not a place for news
or are actively trying to spend less time on their smartphone. The other two groups listed above
said they would potentially be much more interested if there were more controls (36%) over
frequency and time of day or if alerts could be personalised (31%).
Figure 2.11 What features might encourage you to sign up for news alerts?
Figure 2.11 What features might encourage you to sign up for news
alerts?
38%
24%
21%
17%
16%
15%
0% 20% 40%
Nothing would encourage me to use or install news
alerts
Being able to personalise alerts to subjects relevant
to my passions
Being able to control the number of alerts
Being able to reduce duplication of news alerts
Being able to control the time of day I receive news
alerts
Being able to personalise alerts to  subjects relevant
to my work
Q17. Which, if any, of the following features would encourage you to use or install alerts/ notifications for news (or sports news)?
Base: Smartphone users who do not use alerts = 4329
Controllers (36%)
Rejecters (38%)
Personalisers (31%)
Q17. Which, if any, of the following features would encourage you to use or install alerts/
notifications for news (or sports news)?
Base: Smartphone users who do not use alerts = 4329
Our data show that more than half of users (58%) who say they don’t currently use alerts because
they are worried about too many/irrelevant alerts could be persuaded by features that provide more
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
24
control. More that half (53%) of the same group are interested in options that would provide more
relevant or personalised alerts. This marks a significant opportunity.
The smaller Friendster group, which tends to be younger is a little less biddable but four in ten
(40%) could also be persuaded by more relevant and personalised alerts, particularly if news
organisations extended them beyond political and world news.
25
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
3. Current and Future Developments
In this section we explore new approaches from media companies, as well as detailing technical
changes that are being introduced by platforms. This is not a comprehensive survey, for which
much more detailed research would be required. Rather, it is a snapshot of activity from leading
media companies to illustrate how the market might develop and to contextualise the audience
perspective that is the main focus of this report.
Across the industry we see considerable interest in alerts and notifications as news organisations
look to engage loyal users in the face of intense competition from platforms and other providers.
App-Based Approaches
News companies with strong install app bases have been focusing on these direct channels for
increasing engagement.
The New York Times has set up a team to specifically focus on creation and scheduling of
notifications and push alerts without overly annoying and interrupting users.
We used to be standing on a hill and shouting messages at people, [but now] there’s a
growing number of users who only engage with us when we send a push.2
Andrew Phelps, Product Director of Messaging and Push, NYT
Through 2016 the Times has been focusing on personalising notifications to people’s interests,
going beyond breaking news. Experiments have involved customising pushes based on reading
history, time of day, language, and also based on the author of a particular story. For example, a
story about the renaming of Mount McKinley as Denali was pushed only to audiences in particular
time zones, while a notification about a magazine story on Columbia twins was sent (in Spanish) to
those who had Spanish language selected as their preferred language on their mobile.
BBC Sport has had success through sending breaking alerts to several million people along with
automated football and cricket scores based on known preferences. Many of those alerts provide
a useful service in their own right but don’t create significant engagement or bring people back
to the BBC app. Now the Salford-based team is looking to extend the choice of personalised
alerts but also bring more return traffic. They are trying to engage users with exclusive content,
including reminders when live coverage is about to start, post-match analysis, and video highlights
content. The team has also been trying to understand more about the frequency of alerts and
the right time to interrupt users. An early morning alert for an Olympic video round-up, for
example, reached tens of thousands of users each day.
What we’ve found is that a good alert is as powerful as a Facebook post.3
Stuart Rowson, Editor, BBC Sport online
BBC News is also embarking on a new project to deliver more customised alerts. It is looking to
use its huge installed base of app users to extend notifications beyond breaking news and will
be exploring tone of voice, new formats, and more personalised alerts over the next year. More
broadly, the wider My BBC personalisation project is exploring machine learning and segmentation
techniques to improve messaging across platforms and genres.
2
http://digiday.com/publishers/inside-new-york-times-new-push-notifications-team
3
Personal communication with Stuart Rowson, Editor, BBC Sport online, Nov. 2016.
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
26
Web-Based Approaches via Android
Many publishers do not have the advantage of a large installed app base and have been exploring
other ways to get content to users.
The Guardian Mobile Innovation Lab has been conducting a series of experiments around
notifications through 2016. Many of these were aimed not at app users, but at reaching audiences
through browser-based technologies on Android devices (Chrome). During the Olympics they
tested formats for Android users, such as real-time medal alerts, a daily leaderboard, quizzes, and a
‘morale meter’ poll.4
Figure 3.1 Guardian Mobile Innovation Lab Olympic experiments
Figure 3.1 Guardian Lab Olympic experiments
SIGN UP PAGE ALERTS ON AN ANDROID PHONE THE QUIZ FORMAT
Overall, the Guardian found that the ‘utility-based’ medal alerts and leaderboards were much more
valued by users than the interactive quizzes and polls. Critically, it also found that if personalisation
was offered, it would be used, even if - as in this case - there were over 200 country-based
options. The Guardian also ran experiments via Android’s Chrome browser for the Brexit vote and
during the US presidential election debates.
Bots and Chat Apps
Chatbots are artificially intelligent programmes that interact with people through messaging apps
like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Kik, or Line. Publishers are interested because these
platforms have almost as many users as social networks, though very few are currently using
these for news. In April, Facebook opened up its Messenger platform to let publishers (and
brands) interact with its one billion active users. Because Messenger is an app, it is also possible
for publishers to use this mechanism to deliver alerts direct to the lockscreen on Apple or Android
devices. Subscribers to CNN receive a daily digest of top stories right within the Messenger
interface (see Figure 3.2). The bot can also recommend personalised content based on a user’s
preferences and learned interests or it can hold a conversation with a user about an ongoing story.
4
https://medium.com/the-guardian-mobile-innovation-lab/what-we-learned-covering-the-olympics-through-
notifications-fd293b8839ab#.gsel4i48f
27
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and ABC Australia are other publishers who have
launched products for Messenger.
Figure 3.2 Wall Street Journal and
CNN Chat bots (right)
Mic has developed a bot called Mic
Check Yourself, which focuses more
on deep dive interaction with one
top story a day. In sport the NBA
experimented with a bot that allowed
users to request specific highlights
featuring any player from the two
teams in the 2016 finals.
The Financial Times experimented with WhatsApp around the Brexit vote. This initially involved
offering a free (non-paywalled) story each day and then for a few days a channel with all Brexit
content available without a paywall. The Economist has been experimenting with messaging app
Line, which is popular in many parts of Asia. Line surfaces content via push notifications and via a
Facebook-style homepage feed. The Economist team has been experimenting with different types
of bitesize messages, including audio push alerts.5
For subscription-based businesses these chat-
based alerts and bots may be more useful for marketing than building relationships with existing
users.
Publishers say that their notifications experiments often have a bigger payback than traditional
email alerts but this may be because they are engaging with early adopter audiences or that spam
has not yet become a significant issue. The prize may ultimately be greater than email but getting
people to sign up for alerts in this personal space remains a key challenge.
Other Aggregator Platforms
Beyond chat apps there are a number of other aggregator apps that are targeting the mobile
notification space. Flipboard, Smartnews, Nuzzel, and Upday use largely automated notifications to
drive much of their traffic. Fast-moving or popular stories tend to be prioritised by these apps, with
some taking advantage of social connections too.
Apple News introduced notifications for the first time with the iOS 10 upgrade providing another
opportunity for publishers like CNN and the Daily Telegraph in the UK (both launch partners) to
reach the lockscreen,6
though the resulting clickthough goes to the Apple News version of the
story. CNN have suggested the new Apple functionality is a game changer, reporting that daily
notifications grew from 188,000 users at launch to 3.7 million just a few weeks later.7
5
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/05/07/economist-talks-advantages-line-over-whatsapp-mobile-messaging-push
and personal conversation with Denise Law, The Economist community editor, Oct. 2016.
6
Personal conversation with Mike Adamson, Telegraph, Oct. 2016.
7
http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/11/after-a-slow-start-apple-news-is-emerging-as-a-significant-traffic-driver-for-some-
news-orgs
Figure 3.2 Wall Street Journal and
Chat bots (right)
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
28
Richer Payloads on the Way
Equally significant has been the overhaul of the entire notifications system within the iOS 10
operating system. This enables a much richer set of menus to be offered along with rich media
such as videos, graphics, and even live data being pushed directly to the lockscreen.8
NBC News has started to push photos, maps, and infographics in its notifications. Users
could expand the alert, for example, to get a full view of the US election battleground without
having to wait for the app itself to open (see Figure 3.3). In a further development, the Guardian
experimented on election night with alerts on both Android and iOS where live data updates were
pushed for the first time to a real-time scorecard on the lockscreen. Over 200,000 people signed
up, driving around 800,000 extra clicks to the live blog.9
Figure 3.3 Rich media payloads in new iOS 10 notificationsFigure 3.3 Rich media payloads in new iOS10 notifications
NBC ALERT WITH MAP GUARDIAN WITH LIVE DATA WALL STREET JOURNAL VIA
APPLE NEWS
Major league baseball has also started to use the new functionality, sending alerts with video
highlights of games embedded in them. Youth-focused Mic.com is also experimenting with video
(Figure 3.4).
Figure 3.4 Video notifications direct to the lockscreen
Figure 3.4 Video notifications direct to the
lockscreen
8
http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/06/video-notifications-apple-news-subscriptions-and-other-takeaways-for-publishers-
from-apples-wwdc-2016-keynote
9
Personal conversation with Rob Phillips, Guardian Product Manager, Nov. 2016.
29
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
Wearable Alerts
We are also starting to see alerts delivered beyond the smartphone. Two of those we interviewed
were receiving and also valuing alerts on a smart watch:
It is even cooler to receive a push notification, knowing what’s happening, being up to date.
That is even more convenient, you don’t need to get your phone out, I think that’s great.
The smart watch is very good for that. (German respondent - uses Samsung Gear)
Because I’ve got an Apple watch I tend to get most of my notifications on my watch rather
than on my phone. (UK Respondent - uses Apple Watch version 1)
On a watch, notifications trigger a slight vibration on the wrist which allows information to be
glanced at but there is no possibility to click through to more content. News organisations have
been experimenting with snackable content specifically for the watch but the small number of
users has not made it worth devoting too much effort to so far. Over time, however, the wearable
sector could become a far more important part of the picture with new ways of triggering and
displaying different kinds of alerts.
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
30
4. Conclusions and Recommendations for Publishers
The development of both the content and the technology for notifications is moving at an extremely
rapid pace. It is likely that the Android and Apple notification platforms will be every bit as important
for the news industry as Facebook Instant Articles, Google AMP, and Snapchat Discover have already
become. The role of the lockscreen as a gateway to content has been talked about for many years but
only now are we seeing the ease of use and range of functionality begin to meet those expectations.
This research shows that the majority of smartphone users (69%) have downloaded at least one
news app, but only 20% are using news apps on a weekly basis.10
This mismatch essentially
shows the problem of visibility faced by news organisations but also the potential for this
functionality to close that gap. Carefully targeted alerts may be able to bring audiences back more
regularly, and help build a deeper relationship with loyal users that may eventually translate into
advertising or subscription revenue.
In our survey almost half of smartphone users who are not currently using news alerts say they
might be interested in the future. A combination of more prominent interfaces, better targeting, the
growing importance of mobile in general and the popularity of alerts with younger generations add
up to a significant new opportunity for publishers.
Having said that, there are still many uncertainties and obstacles to overcome. As we’ve seen in
this report, many users are extremely wary of being sent irrelevant messages on this most personal
device. There is a danger that the opportunity will be killed by bad actors spamming consumers
– rather as excessive and interruptive digital advertising has led to consumers to embrace
adblockers. There is also no guarantee that publishers have the right skills to seize the opportunity.
Smartphone users – particularly casual users who are not loyal to a specific brand - may prefer
to get alerts from aggregators or from platforms that can offer a wider range of content and more
sophisticated technology to personalise alerts effectively.
There are, however, some clear messages and recommendations for publishers in this research:
1. Convert your own app users
It is striking that only around 50% of app users are currently configured to receive alerts.
These are by definition interested in news and loyal to at least one news brand. Finding ways
to communicate the benefits of alerts to these users will offer the quickest route to growth,
along with promoting app use in general and persuading web users to take advantage of
alerts. Given the concerns highlighted in this research about alert overload, communication
should focus on reassurance on issues of control and relevance.
2. Personalisation will be key
This research shows that that, although there is a significant number of people who have
no interest in news alerts under any circumstances, many would be interested if alerts were
more relevant. This means offering a more granular choice of alerts beyond breaking news
and delivering these at the right time and in the right place. This in turn will require a deep
understanding of audiences, along with investment in technical solutions that learn about
individual preferences based on usage and other signals. This will be important because
most users, particularly older groups, tend not to make or change selections manually.
However, as discussed above, automated solutions need to be combined with explicit and
transparent overrides that allow consumers to control the number and timing of alerts.
10
The 20% figure comes from data collected from the Digital News Report 2016, and is an average of US, UK, and
Germany.
31
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
3. Map out a clear strategy for the lockscreen
Developing a strong news app habit will be a clear advantage as notifications become
more central, but this will not be an option for all news organisations given the cost of
maintenance and problems of discoverability. As the Guardian Innovation Lab has shown,
however, there are many other ways to the lockscreen. On Android devices it is possible to
deliver alerts using the Chrome browser and manage sign ups via a mobile news website.
Other publishers are experimenting with third-party apps like Facebook Messenger,
WhatsApp, Line, or Apple News and delivering alerts through these platforms. All these
third-party options involve compromises but they will be worth evaluating to understand
which fits particular objectives and business models best.
4. Take advantage of emerging formats
Insights from our research suggest that smartphone users often want more than a headline
but less than a full article. They certainly don’t want to wait for several seconds for an app
to load when they have just a few seconds to take in information. Some of the new alert
formats introduced by platforms over the last year offer opportunities to push rich media in
a way that plays instantly and natively and even allows news interactions on the lockcreen
itself. These rich ‘mobile moments’ are likely to become the norm over the next few years
and it will be important to experiment and learn from these new opportunities.
5. Experiment with tone and style
We are still in the early stage of mobile notifications. While factual headlines are valued by
many, there are signs in our interviews that around personal passions and niches there is
an opportunity to be more playful with the tone and type of alerts. As BBC Sport have been
showing, it may be worth distinguishing between simple push alerts that provide a service
and those that are designed to bring users back to something more substantial.
This research has only scratched the surface on a subject that is likely to gain much more
attention in the years to come. There is more we need to know about user expectations, about
whether alerts drive deeper or narrower engagement with the news and about whether publishers,
platforms, or aggregators will ultimately benefit most.
But with the smartphone fast becoming the main device for digital access, the battle for the
lockscreen is set to intensify in the years to come.
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
32
References
Newman, N. 2016. Media Journalism and Technology Predictions. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the
Study of Journalism, Jan. http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/publications/2016/predictions-2016
Newman, N., Fletcher, R., Levy, D. A. L., and Nielsen, R. K. 2016. Digital News Report 2016.
Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. http://www.digitalnewsreport.org
Techcrunch 2015. Consumers spend 85% of time in apps but only 5 see heavy use.
https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/22/consumers-spend-85-of-time-on-smartphones-in-apps-but-
only-5-apps-see-heavy-use
University of Texas at Austin. 2016. Engaging News Project: Mobile News Notifications. Austin, TX:
Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. https://engagingnewsproject.org/research/mobile-news-
notifications
33
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
RISJ PUBLICATIONS
DIGITAL NEWS PROJECT REPORTS
Journalism, Media and Technology Predictions 2016
Nic Newman
Editorial Analytics: How News Media are Developing
and Using Audience Data and Metrics
Federica Cherubini and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Public Service News and Digital Media
Annika Sehl, Alessio Cornia, and Rasmus Kleis
Nielsen
What’s Happening to TV News?
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen and Richard Sambrook
Online Video News
Antonis Kalogeropoulos, Federica Cherubini, and Nic
Newman
Digital News Report 2016
Nic Newman, Richard Fletcher, David A. L. Levy and
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Private Sector Media and Digital News
Alessio Cornia, Annika Sehl, and Rasmus Kleis
Nielsen
Asia-Pacific Supplementary Digital News Report
2016
Kruakae Pothong and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
The Rise of Fact-Checking Sites in Europe
Lucas Graves and Federica Cherubini
News Alerts and the Battle for the Lockscreen
Nic Newman
DIGITAL NEWS PROJECT REPORTS -
FORTHCOMING
Digital-born News Media in Europe
Tom Nicholls et al.
Journalism, Media and Technology Predictions 2017
Nic Newman
Beyond the Article
Kevin Anderson
Change Processes in Public Service Media
Annika Sehl
NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN
34
SELECTED RISJ BOOKS
(published jointly with I.B.Tauris)
Journalism in an Age of Terror
John Lloyd
Media, Revolution, and Politics in Egypt:
The Story of an Uprising
Abdalla Hassan
The Euro Crisis in the Media: Journalistic Coverage
of Economic Crisis and European Institutions
Robert G. Picard (ed)
Local Journalism: The Decline of Newspapers and
the Rise of Digital Media
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (ed)
The Ethics of Journalism: Individual, Institutional and
Cultural Influences
Wendy N. Wyatt (ed)
Political Journalism in Transition: Western Europe in
a Comparative Perspective
Raymond Kuhn and Rasmus Kleis
Nielsen (eds)
Transparency in Politics and the Media:
Accountability and Open Government
Nigel Bowles, James T. Hamilton, David A. L. Levy
(eds)
The Media, Privacy and Public Shaming: The
Boundaries of Disclosure
Julian Petley
SELECTED RISJ CHALLENGES
(published jointly with I.B.Tauris)
The Right to Be Forgotten: Privacy and the Media in
the Digital Age
George Brock
The Kidnapping of Journalists: Reporting from High-
Risk Conflict Zones
Robert G. Picard and Hannah Storm
Innovators in Digital News
Lucy Küng
Journalism and PR: News Media and Public
Relations in the Digital Age
John Lloyd and Laura Toogood
Reporting the EU: News, Media and the European
Institutions
John Lloyd and Cristina Marconi
Climate Change in the Media: Reporting Risk and
Uncertainty
James Painter
Women and Journalism
Suzanne Franks
Transformations in Egyptian Journalism
Naomi Sakr
IGITALNEWSPROJECTDIGITALNEWSPROJECTDIGITALNEWSPROJECTDIGITALNEW
Supported by
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk digitalnewsreport.org

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Reuters institute Digital News Report 2015 [full report]
Reuters institute Digital News Report 2015 [full report]Reuters institute Digital News Report 2015 [full report]
Reuters institute Digital News Report 2015 [full report]Andrea Spinosi Picotti
 
Focus on… mobile July 2014
Focus on… mobile July 2014Focus on… mobile July 2014
Focus on… mobile July 2014Newsworks
 
Spotlight on UK newspapers
Spotlight on UK newspapersSpotlight on UK newspapers
Spotlight on UK newspapersNewsworks
 
TOUCHPOINTS5: THE POWER OF PASSIVE DATA
TOUCHPOINTS5: THE POWER OF PASSIVE DATATOUCHPOINTS5: THE POWER OF PASSIVE DATA
TOUCHPOINTS5: THE POWER OF PASSIVE DATAStudioRevolucija
 
The New Era for Video News
The New Era for Video NewsThe New Era for Video News
The New Era for Video NewsAssociated Press
 
THE NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT: Q2 2016
THE NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT: Q2 2016THE NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT: Q2 2016
THE NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT: Q2 2016Filipp Paster
 
Guardian publishing trends 2016
Guardian publishing trends 2016Guardian publishing trends 2016
Guardian publishing trends 2016Jess Morton
 
Overview of Global Journalism 2021.pptx
Overview of Global Journalism 2021.pptxOverview of Global Journalism 2021.pptx
Overview of Global Journalism 2021.pptxHarry Dugmore
 
Mobile 2010 Return2 Sender Report Of Findings
Mobile 2010    Return2 Sender Report Of FindingsMobile 2010    Return2 Sender Report Of Findings
Mobile 2010 Return2 Sender Report Of FindingsBrendan Mc Coy
 
State of the Web in 2016 - Mary Meeker
State of the Web in 2016 - Mary MeekerState of the Web in 2016 - Mary Meeker
State of the Web in 2016 - Mary MeekerOliver Grave
 
People & News 2014
People & News 2014People & News 2014
People & News 2014Newsworks
 

Mais procurados (16)

Digital News Report 2020
Digital News Report 2020Digital News Report 2020
Digital News Report 2020
 
'I saw the news on Facebook': Noticing news brands in distributed environments
'I saw the news on Facebook': Noticing news brands in distributed environments'I saw the news on Facebook': Noticing news brands in distributed environments
'I saw the news on Facebook': Noticing news brands in distributed environments
 
NISWAW Panel Debate 3 Nic Newman
NISWAW Panel Debate 3 Nic NewmanNISWAW Panel Debate 3 Nic Newman
NISWAW Panel Debate 3 Nic Newman
 
Reuters institute Digital News Report 2015 [full report]
Reuters institute Digital News Report 2015 [full report]Reuters institute Digital News Report 2015 [full report]
Reuters institute Digital News Report 2015 [full report]
 
Focus on… mobile July 2014
Focus on… mobile July 2014Focus on… mobile July 2014
Focus on… mobile July 2014
 
Spotlight on UK newspapers
Spotlight on UK newspapersSpotlight on UK newspapers
Spotlight on UK newspapers
 
Teens' Mobile Activities
Teens' Mobile ActivitiesTeens' Mobile Activities
Teens' Mobile Activities
 
TOUCHPOINTS5: THE POWER OF PASSIVE DATA
TOUCHPOINTS5: THE POWER OF PASSIVE DATATOUCHPOINTS5: THE POWER OF PASSIVE DATA
TOUCHPOINTS5: THE POWER OF PASSIVE DATA
 
The New Era for Video News
The New Era for Video NewsThe New Era for Video News
The New Era for Video News
 
THE NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT: Q2 2016
THE NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT: Q2 2016THE NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT: Q2 2016
THE NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT: Q2 2016
 
Guardian publishing trends 2016
Guardian publishing trends 2016Guardian publishing trends 2016
Guardian publishing trends 2016
 
Overview of Global Journalism 2021.pptx
Overview of Global Journalism 2021.pptxOverview of Global Journalism 2021.pptx
Overview of Global Journalism 2021.pptx
 
Mobile 2010 Return2 Sender Report Of Findings
Mobile 2010    Return2 Sender Report Of FindingsMobile 2010    Return2 Sender Report Of Findings
Mobile 2010 Return2 Sender Report Of Findings
 
Newman predictions-2016-final
Newman predictions-2016-finalNewman predictions-2016-final
Newman predictions-2016-final
 
State of the Web in 2016 - Mary Meeker
State of the Web in 2016 - Mary MeekerState of the Web in 2016 - Mary Meeker
State of the Web in 2016 - Mary Meeker
 
People & News 2014
People & News 2014People & News 2014
People & News 2014
 

Semelhante a News alerts and the battle for the lockscreen

Digital news report_2013
Digital news report_2013Digital news report_2013
Digital news report_2013Insoon Kim
 
Reuters digital news report 2013
Reuters digital news report 2013Reuters digital news report 2013
Reuters digital news report 2013Xosé María Cid
 
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015Cyber Mum
 
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full reportReuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full reportHidden Marketing
 
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full reportReuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full reportLausanne Montreux Congress
 
Reuters institute digital news report 2015
Reuters institute digital news report 2015Reuters institute digital news report 2015
Reuters institute digital news report 2015yann le gigan
 
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015Miqui Mel
 
Digital news-report-2018
Digital news-report-2018Digital news-report-2018
Digital news-report-2018Peter Malec
 
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015: Selected highlights
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015: Selected highlightsReuters Institute Digital News Report 2015: Selected highlights
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015: Selected highlightsDamian Radcliffe
 
Deloitte mobile consumer report UK 2016
Deloitte mobile consumer report UK 2016Deloitte mobile consumer report UK 2016
Deloitte mobile consumer report UK 2016Krishna De
 
Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf
Digital_News_Report_2023.pdfDigital_News_Report_2023.pdf
Digital_News_Report_2023.pdfMarketingTrips
 
Ofcom Communications Market Report 2016
Ofcom Communications Market Report 2016Ofcom Communications Market Report 2016
Ofcom Communications Market Report 2016David Hill
 
Fipp world media trends special report mobile
Fipp world media trends special report mobileFipp world media trends special report mobile
Fipp world media trends special report mobileTuan Anh Nguyen
 
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 final
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 finalReuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 final
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 finalSABC News
 

Semelhante a News alerts and the battle for the lockscreen (20)

Digital news report_2013
Digital news report_2013Digital news report_2013
Digital news report_2013
 
Reuters digital news report 2013
Reuters digital news report 2013Reuters digital news report 2013
Reuters digital news report 2013
 
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
 
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full reportReuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
 
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full reportReuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
Reuters institute digital news report 2015 full report
 
Reuters institute digital news report 2015
Reuters institute digital news report 2015Reuters institute digital news report 2015
Reuters institute digital news report 2015
 
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015
 
Digital news-report-2018
Digital news-report-2018Digital news-report-2018
Digital news-report-2018
 
Digital news-report-2018
Digital news-report-2018Digital news-report-2018
Digital news-report-2018
 
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015: Selected highlights
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015: Selected highlightsReuters Institute Digital News Report 2015: Selected highlights
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015: Selected highlights
 
Deloitte mobile consumer report UK 2016
Deloitte mobile consumer report UK 2016Deloitte mobile consumer report UK 2016
Deloitte mobile consumer report UK 2016
 
Andy Vogel: Integrate Mobile into a Broader Ad Campaign
Andy Vogel: Integrate Mobile into a Broader Ad CampaignAndy Vogel: Integrate Mobile into a Broader Ad Campaign
Andy Vogel: Integrate Mobile into a Broader Ad Campaign
 
Digital News Report 2023
Digital News Report 2023Digital News Report 2023
Digital News Report 2023
 
Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf
Digital_News_Report_2023.pdfDigital_News_Report_2023.pdf
Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf
 
Digital Media Strategies UK 2018
Digital Media Strategies UK 2018Digital Media Strategies UK 2018
Digital Media Strategies UK 2018
 
Ofcom Communications Market Report 2016
Ofcom Communications Market Report 2016Ofcom Communications Market Report 2016
Ofcom Communications Market Report 2016
 
Fipp world media trends special report mobile
Fipp world media trends special report mobileFipp world media trends special report mobile
Fipp world media trends special report mobile
 
Digital Media Strategies US
Digital Media Strategies USDigital Media Strategies US
Digital Media Strategies US
 
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 final
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 finalReuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 final
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 final
 
Digital News Report 2019
Digital News Report 2019Digital News Report 2019
Digital News Report 2019
 

Mais de Tel-Aviv Journalists' Association

התנועה לחופש המידע נגד משרד האוצר ואחרים
התנועה לחופש המידע נגד משרד האוצר ואחריםהתנועה לחופש המידע נגד משרד האוצר ואחרים
התנועה לחופש המידע נגד משרד האוצר ואחריםTel-Aviv Journalists' Association
 
בועז ניצן נגד היועץ המשפטי לממשלה
בועז ניצן נגד היועץ המשפטי לממשלהבועז ניצן נגד היועץ המשפטי לממשלה
בועז ניצן נגד היועץ המשפטי לממשלהTel-Aviv Journalists' Association
 
פרופ' יאיר אורון ואחרים נגד משרד החוץ ואחרים
פרופ' יאיר אורון ואחרים נגד משרד החוץ ואחריםפרופ' יאיר אורון ואחרים נגד משרד החוץ ואחרים
פרופ' יאיר אורון ואחרים נגד משרד החוץ ואחריםTel-Aviv Journalists' Association
 
מועצה מקומית מג'דל שמס ואח' נ' ג'והרי ואח'
מועצה מקומית מג'דל שמס ואח' נ' ג'והרי ואח'מועצה מקומית מג'דל שמס ואח' נ' ג'והרי ואח'
מועצה מקומית מג'דל שמס ואח' נ' ג'והרי ואח'Tel-Aviv Journalists' Association
 
יואל וגלית שאול נגד חברת ניידלי תקשורת בע"מ
יואל וגלית שאול נגד חברת ניידלי תקשורת בע"מיואל וגלית שאול נגד חברת ניידלי תקשורת בע"מ
יואל וגלית שאול נגד חברת ניידלי תקשורת בע"מTel-Aviv Journalists' Association
 
ברוך קרא ו"המקור" נגד מדינת ישראל, גבי אשכנזי ואח'
ברוך קרא ו"המקור" נגד מדינת ישראל, גבי אשכנזי ואח'ברוך קרא ו"המקור" נגד מדינת ישראל, גבי אשכנזי ואח'
ברוך קרא ו"המקור" נגד מדינת ישראל, גבי אשכנזי ואח'Tel-Aviv Journalists' Association
 
יונתן אוריך, עופר גולן, יוסי שלום וישראל איינהורן נגד משטרת ישראל
יונתן אוריך, עופר גולן, יוסי שלום וישראל איינהורן נגד משטרת ישראליונתן אוריך, עופר גולן, יוסי שלום וישראל איינהורן נגד משטרת ישראל
יונתן אוריך, עופר גולן, יוסי שלום וישראל איינהורן נגד משטרת ישראלTel-Aviv Journalists' Association
 
ד"ר שלמה סוויסה נ' תומר גלאם ראש עיריית אשקלון
ד"ר שלמה סוויסה נ' תומר גלאם ראש עיריית אשקלוןד"ר שלמה סוויסה נ' תומר גלאם ראש עיריית אשקלון
ד"ר שלמה סוויסה נ' תומר גלאם ראש עיריית אשקלוןTel-Aviv Journalists' Association
 

Mais de Tel-Aviv Journalists' Association (20)

רינת חזן נגד אברהם לונשטיין
רינת חזן נגד אברהם לונשטייןרינת חזן נגד אברהם לונשטיין
רינת חזן נגד אברהם לונשטיין
 
התנועה לחופש המידע נגד משרד האוצר ואחרים
התנועה לחופש המידע נגד משרד האוצר ואחריםהתנועה לחופש המידע נגד משרד האוצר ואחרים
התנועה לחופש המידע נגד משרד האוצר ואחרים
 
בועז ניצן נגד היועץ המשפטי לממשלה
בועז ניצן נגד היועץ המשפטי לממשלהבועז ניצן נגד היועץ המשפטי לממשלה
בועז ניצן נגד היועץ המשפטי לממשלה
 
שגיא נגד צורי ואחרים
שגיא נגד צורי ואחריםשגיא נגד צורי ואחרים
שגיא נגד צורי ואחרים
 
כתב תביעה גיא ניר נגד הדס שטייף
כתב תביעה גיא ניר נגד הדס שטייףכתב תביעה גיא ניר נגד הדס שטייף
כתב תביעה גיא ניר נגד הדס שטייף
 
פרופ' יאיר אורון ואחרים נגד משרד החוץ ואחרים
פרופ' יאיר אורון ואחרים נגד משרד החוץ ואחריםפרופ' יאיר אורון ואחרים נגד משרד החוץ ואחרים
פרופ' יאיר אורון ואחרים נגד משרד החוץ ואחרים
 
לוין נ' טייקאייר ישראל בע"מ ואח'
 לוין נ' טייקאייר ישראל בע"מ ואח' לוין נ' טייקאייר ישראל בע"מ ואח'
לוין נ' טייקאייר ישראל בע"מ ואח'
 
דורון כהן נגד מדינת ישראל
דורון כהן נגד מדינת ישראלדורון כהן נגד מדינת ישראל
דורון כהן נגד מדינת ישראל
 
מועצה מקומית מג'דל שמס ואח' נ' ג'והרי ואח'
מועצה מקומית מג'דל שמס ואח' נ' ג'והרי ואח'מועצה מקומית מג'דל שמס ואח' נ' ג'והרי ואח'
מועצה מקומית מג'דל שמס ואח' נ' ג'והרי ואח'
 
סולו איטליה בע"מ ואח' נ' בוטגה
סולו איטליה בע"מ ואח' נ' בוטגהסולו איטליה בע"מ ואח' נ' בוטגה
סולו איטליה בע"מ ואח' נ' בוטגה
 
Internetreport 2019
Internetreport 2019Internetreport 2019
Internetreport 2019
 
יואל וגלית שאול נגד חברת ניידלי תקשורת בע"מ
יואל וגלית שאול נגד חברת ניידלי תקשורת בע"מיואל וגלית שאול נגד חברת ניידלי תקשורת בע"מ
יואל וגלית שאול נגד חברת ניידלי תקשורת בע"מ
 
מאירי נגד פאנדר
מאירי נגד פאנדרמאירי נגד פאנדר
מאירי נגד פאנדר
 
ברוך קרא ו"המקור" נגד מדינת ישראל, גבי אשכנזי ואח'
ברוך קרא ו"המקור" נגד מדינת ישראל, גבי אשכנזי ואח'ברוך קרא ו"המקור" נגד מדינת ישראל, גבי אשכנזי ואח'
ברוך קרא ו"המקור" נגד מדינת ישראל, גבי אשכנזי ואח'
 
יונתן אוריך, עופר גולן, יוסי שלום וישראל איינהורן נגד משטרת ישראל
יונתן אוריך, עופר גולן, יוסי שלום וישראל איינהורן נגד משטרת ישראליונתן אוריך, עופר גולן, יוסי שלום וישראל איינהורן נגד משטרת ישראל
יונתן אוריך, עופר גולן, יוסי שלום וישראל איינהורן נגד משטרת ישראל
 
הלוי נגד גניש
הלוי נגד גנישהלוי נגד גניש
הלוי נגד גניש
 
גרשוני ואח' נ' רוזנבלום ואח
גרשוני ואח' נ' רוזנבלום ואחגרשוני ואח' נ' רוזנבלום ואח
גרשוני ואח' נ' רוזנבלום ואח
 
קרן נגד ליבר ואח'
קרן נגד ליבר ואח'קרן נגד ליבר ואח'
קרן נגד ליבר ואח'
 
ד"ר שלמה סוויסה נ' תומר גלאם ראש עיריית אשקלון
ד"ר שלמה סוויסה נ' תומר גלאם ראש עיריית אשקלוןד"ר שלמה סוויסה נ' תומר גלאם ראש עיריית אשקלון
ד"ר שלמה סוויסה נ' תומר גלאם ראש עיריית אשקלון
 
עמוס דב סילבר נגד שב"ס
עמוס דב סילבר נגד שב"סעמוס דב סילבר נגד שב"ס
עמוס דב סילבר נגד שב"ס
 

Último

How is AI changing journalism? (v. April 2024)
How is AI changing journalism? (v. April 2024)How is AI changing journalism? (v. April 2024)
How is AI changing journalism? (v. April 2024)Damian Radcliffe
 
CALL ON ➥8923113531 🔝Call Girls Lucknow Lucknow best sexual service Online
CALL ON ➥8923113531 🔝Call Girls Lucknow Lucknow best sexual service OnlineCALL ON ➥8923113531 🔝Call Girls Lucknow Lucknow best sexual service Online
CALL ON ➥8923113531 🔝Call Girls Lucknow Lucknow best sexual service Onlineanilsa9823
 
VIP Model Call Girls Hadapsar ( Pune ) Call ON 9905417584 Starting High Prof...
VIP Model Call Girls Hadapsar ( Pune ) Call ON 9905417584 Starting  High Prof...VIP Model Call Girls Hadapsar ( Pune ) Call ON 9905417584 Starting  High Prof...
VIP Model Call Girls Hadapsar ( Pune ) Call ON 9905417584 Starting High Prof...singhpriety023
 
₹5.5k {Cash Payment}New Friends Colony Call Girls In [Delhi NIHARIKA] 🔝|97111...
₹5.5k {Cash Payment}New Friends Colony Call Girls In [Delhi NIHARIKA] 🔝|97111...₹5.5k {Cash Payment}New Friends Colony Call Girls In [Delhi NIHARIKA] 🔝|97111...
₹5.5k {Cash Payment}New Friends Colony Call Girls In [Delhi NIHARIKA] 🔝|97111...Diya Sharma
 
Call Girls In Defence Colony Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Defence Colony Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝Call Girls In Defence Colony Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Defence Colony Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝soniya singh
 
Lucknow ❤CALL GIRL 88759*99948 ❤CALL GIRLS IN Lucknow ESCORT SERVICE❤CALL GIRL
Lucknow ❤CALL GIRL 88759*99948 ❤CALL GIRLS IN Lucknow ESCORT SERVICE❤CALL GIRLLucknow ❤CALL GIRL 88759*99948 ❤CALL GIRLS IN Lucknow ESCORT SERVICE❤CALL GIRL
Lucknow ❤CALL GIRL 88759*99948 ❤CALL GIRLS IN Lucknow ESCORT SERVICE❤CALL GIRLimonikaupta
 
All Time Service Available Call Girls Mg Road 👌 ⏭️ 6378878445
All Time Service Available Call Girls Mg Road 👌 ⏭️ 6378878445All Time Service Available Call Girls Mg Road 👌 ⏭️ 6378878445
All Time Service Available Call Girls Mg Road 👌 ⏭️ 6378878445ruhi
 
Enjoy Night⚡Call Girls Dlf City Phase 3 Gurgaon >༒8448380779 Escort Service
Enjoy Night⚡Call Girls Dlf City Phase 3 Gurgaon >༒8448380779 Escort ServiceEnjoy Night⚡Call Girls Dlf City Phase 3 Gurgaon >༒8448380779 Escort Service
Enjoy Night⚡Call Girls Dlf City Phase 3 Gurgaon >༒8448380779 Escort ServiceDelhi Call girls
 
Nanded City ( Call Girls ) Pune 6297143586 Hot Model With Sexy Bhabi Ready ...
Nanded City ( Call Girls ) Pune  6297143586  Hot Model With Sexy Bhabi Ready ...Nanded City ( Call Girls ) Pune  6297143586  Hot Model With Sexy Bhabi Ready ...
Nanded City ( Call Girls ) Pune 6297143586 Hot Model With Sexy Bhabi Ready ...tanu pandey
 
Call Girls In Model Towh Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Model Towh Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝Call Girls In Model Towh Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Model Towh Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝soniya singh
 
VIP 7001035870 Find & Meet Hyderabad Call Girls LB Nagar high-profile Call Girl
VIP 7001035870 Find & Meet Hyderabad Call Girls LB Nagar high-profile Call GirlVIP 7001035870 Find & Meet Hyderabad Call Girls LB Nagar high-profile Call Girl
VIP 7001035870 Find & Meet Hyderabad Call Girls LB Nagar high-profile Call Girladitipandeya
 
Hot Call Girls |Delhi |Hauz Khas ☎ 9711199171 Book Your One night Stand
Hot Call Girls |Delhi |Hauz Khas ☎ 9711199171 Book Your One night StandHot Call Girls |Delhi |Hauz Khas ☎ 9711199171 Book Your One night Stand
Hot Call Girls |Delhi |Hauz Khas ☎ 9711199171 Book Your One night Standkumarajju5765
 
WhatsApp 📞 8448380779 ✅Call Girls In Mamura Sector 66 ( Noida)
WhatsApp 📞 8448380779 ✅Call Girls In Mamura Sector 66 ( Noida)WhatsApp 📞 8448380779 ✅Call Girls In Mamura Sector 66 ( Noida)
WhatsApp 📞 8448380779 ✅Call Girls In Mamura Sector 66 ( Noida)Delhi Call girls
 
Call Girls In Saket Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Saket Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝Call Girls In Saket Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Saket Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝soniya singh
 
Call Now ☎ 8264348440 !! Call Girls in Shahpur Jat Escort Service Delhi N.C.R.
Call Now ☎ 8264348440 !! Call Girls in Shahpur Jat Escort Service Delhi N.C.R.Call Now ☎ 8264348440 !! Call Girls in Shahpur Jat Escort Service Delhi N.C.R.
Call Now ☎ 8264348440 !! Call Girls in Shahpur Jat Escort Service Delhi N.C.R.soniya singh
 
Moving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providers
Moving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providersMoving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providers
Moving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providersDamian Radcliffe
 
Call Girls In Pratap Nagar Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Pratap Nagar Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝Call Girls In Pratap Nagar Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Pratap Nagar Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝soniya singh
 

Último (20)

How is AI changing journalism? (v. April 2024)
How is AI changing journalism? (v. April 2024)How is AI changing journalism? (v. April 2024)
How is AI changing journalism? (v. April 2024)
 
CALL ON ➥8923113531 🔝Call Girls Lucknow Lucknow best sexual service Online
CALL ON ➥8923113531 🔝Call Girls Lucknow Lucknow best sexual service OnlineCALL ON ➥8923113531 🔝Call Girls Lucknow Lucknow best sexual service Online
CALL ON ➥8923113531 🔝Call Girls Lucknow Lucknow best sexual service Online
 
VIP Model Call Girls Hadapsar ( Pune ) Call ON 9905417584 Starting High Prof...
VIP Model Call Girls Hadapsar ( Pune ) Call ON 9905417584 Starting  High Prof...VIP Model Call Girls Hadapsar ( Pune ) Call ON 9905417584 Starting  High Prof...
VIP Model Call Girls Hadapsar ( Pune ) Call ON 9905417584 Starting High Prof...
 
₹5.5k {Cash Payment}New Friends Colony Call Girls In [Delhi NIHARIKA] 🔝|97111...
₹5.5k {Cash Payment}New Friends Colony Call Girls In [Delhi NIHARIKA] 🔝|97111...₹5.5k {Cash Payment}New Friends Colony Call Girls In [Delhi NIHARIKA] 🔝|97111...
₹5.5k {Cash Payment}New Friends Colony Call Girls In [Delhi NIHARIKA] 🔝|97111...
 
Call Girls In Defence Colony Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Defence Colony Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝Call Girls In Defence Colony Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Defence Colony Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
 
Lucknow ❤CALL GIRL 88759*99948 ❤CALL GIRLS IN Lucknow ESCORT SERVICE❤CALL GIRL
Lucknow ❤CALL GIRL 88759*99948 ❤CALL GIRLS IN Lucknow ESCORT SERVICE❤CALL GIRLLucknow ❤CALL GIRL 88759*99948 ❤CALL GIRLS IN Lucknow ESCORT SERVICE❤CALL GIRL
Lucknow ❤CALL GIRL 88759*99948 ❤CALL GIRLS IN Lucknow ESCORT SERVICE❤CALL GIRL
 
All Time Service Available Call Girls Mg Road 👌 ⏭️ 6378878445
All Time Service Available Call Girls Mg Road 👌 ⏭️ 6378878445All Time Service Available Call Girls Mg Road 👌 ⏭️ 6378878445
All Time Service Available Call Girls Mg Road 👌 ⏭️ 6378878445
 
Enjoy Night⚡Call Girls Dlf City Phase 3 Gurgaon >༒8448380779 Escort Service
Enjoy Night⚡Call Girls Dlf City Phase 3 Gurgaon >༒8448380779 Escort ServiceEnjoy Night⚡Call Girls Dlf City Phase 3 Gurgaon >༒8448380779 Escort Service
Enjoy Night⚡Call Girls Dlf City Phase 3 Gurgaon >༒8448380779 Escort Service
 
Nanded City ( Call Girls ) Pune 6297143586 Hot Model With Sexy Bhabi Ready ...
Nanded City ( Call Girls ) Pune  6297143586  Hot Model With Sexy Bhabi Ready ...Nanded City ( Call Girls ) Pune  6297143586  Hot Model With Sexy Bhabi Ready ...
Nanded City ( Call Girls ) Pune 6297143586 Hot Model With Sexy Bhabi Ready ...
 
Russian Call Girls in %(+971524965298 )# Call Girls in Dubai
Russian Call Girls in %(+971524965298  )#  Call Girls in DubaiRussian Call Girls in %(+971524965298  )#  Call Girls in Dubai
Russian Call Girls in %(+971524965298 )# Call Girls in Dubai
 
Call Girls In Model Towh Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Model Towh Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝Call Girls In Model Towh Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Model Towh Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
 
VIP 7001035870 Find & Meet Hyderabad Call Girls LB Nagar high-profile Call Girl
VIP 7001035870 Find & Meet Hyderabad Call Girls LB Nagar high-profile Call GirlVIP 7001035870 Find & Meet Hyderabad Call Girls LB Nagar high-profile Call Girl
VIP 7001035870 Find & Meet Hyderabad Call Girls LB Nagar high-profile Call Girl
 
Hot Call Girls |Delhi |Hauz Khas ☎ 9711199171 Book Your One night Stand
Hot Call Girls |Delhi |Hauz Khas ☎ 9711199171 Book Your One night StandHot Call Girls |Delhi |Hauz Khas ☎ 9711199171 Book Your One night Stand
Hot Call Girls |Delhi |Hauz Khas ☎ 9711199171 Book Your One night Stand
 
WhatsApp 📞 8448380779 ✅Call Girls In Mamura Sector 66 ( Noida)
WhatsApp 📞 8448380779 ✅Call Girls In Mamura Sector 66 ( Noida)WhatsApp 📞 8448380779 ✅Call Girls In Mamura Sector 66 ( Noida)
WhatsApp 📞 8448380779 ✅Call Girls In Mamura Sector 66 ( Noida)
 
Call Girls In Saket Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Saket Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝Call Girls In Saket Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Saket Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
 
Call Now ☎ 8264348440 !! Call Girls in Shahpur Jat Escort Service Delhi N.C.R.
Call Now ☎ 8264348440 !! Call Girls in Shahpur Jat Escort Service Delhi N.C.R.Call Now ☎ 8264348440 !! Call Girls in Shahpur Jat Escort Service Delhi N.C.R.
Call Now ☎ 8264348440 !! Call Girls in Shahpur Jat Escort Service Delhi N.C.R.
 
@9999965857 🫦 Sexy Desi Call Girls Laxmi Nagar 💓 High Profile Escorts Delhi 🫶
@9999965857 🫦 Sexy Desi Call Girls Laxmi Nagar 💓 High Profile Escorts Delhi 🫶@9999965857 🫦 Sexy Desi Call Girls Laxmi Nagar 💓 High Profile Escorts Delhi 🫶
@9999965857 🫦 Sexy Desi Call Girls Laxmi Nagar 💓 High Profile Escorts Delhi 🫶
 
Moving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providers
Moving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providersMoving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providers
Moving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providers
 
Call Girls In Pratap Nagar Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Pratap Nagar Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝Call Girls In Pratap Nagar Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
Call Girls In Pratap Nagar Delhi 💯Call Us 🔝8264348440🔝
 
Dwarka Sector 26 Call Girls | Delhi | 9999965857 🫦 Vanshika Verma More Our Se...
Dwarka Sector 26 Call Girls | Delhi | 9999965857 🫦 Vanshika Verma More Our Se...Dwarka Sector 26 Call Girls | Delhi | 9999965857 🫦 Vanshika Verma More Our Se...
Dwarka Sector 26 Call Girls | Delhi | 9999965857 🫦 Vanshika Verma More Our Se...
 

News alerts and the battle for the lockscreen

  • 2.
  • 3. CONTENTS About the Author 5 Acknowledgements 5 Methodology 6 Executive Summary 7 1. The Notification Landscape and the Role of News 10 2. News Notifications in Detail 15 3. Current and Future Developments 25 4. Conclusions and Recommendations for Publishers 30 References 32
  • 4.
  • 5. 5 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN About the Author Nic Newman is a journalist and digital strategist who played a key role in shaping the BBC’s internet services over more than a decade. He was a founding member of the BBC News Website, leading international coverage as World Editor (1997–2001). As Head of Product Development, he led digital teams, developing websites, mobile, and interactive TV applications for all BBC Journalism sites. Nic is currently a Research Associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism where he writes about changing audience behaviour and the impact of technology. He is the lead author of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report (2012–16) and the Reuters Institute Journalism Trends and Predictions (2016). He also co- authored The Future of Online Video Report (2016). Acknowledgements Particular thanks are due to the team at the Reuters Institute. Research Director, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Annika Sehl, Richard Fletcher, and Antonis Kalogeropoulos provided invaluable advice with survey preparation, analysis, and interpretation. Alex Reid and Hannah Marsh helped ensure a smooth publication process. The author would also like to thank Stephanie Frost and David Eastbury at YouGov for efficiency of the survey process and Jerry Latter and Kayo Hayashi for coordinating the interviews and translations across four countries and providing expert interpretation. Published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism with the support of Google and the Digital News Initiative
  • 6. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 6 Methodology This research is based on a survey of smartphone users in four countries conducted by YouGov between 26 September and 10 October 2016. Total sample size was 7,577 adults in the UK, US, Germany, and Taiwan. The survey was carried out online. The table below sets out the sample sizes in each country. 2 OGY US TAIWAN GERMANY UK Smartphone users 1881 1025 1701 1797 Smartphone users (%) 81% 98% 81% 85% News ( and sport) alert users 679 413 475 508 Data quoted in this survey are representative of smartphone users in each country, not of the total online population (row one above). We also look in detail at the subset of people who are users of news and sport alerts (row three). For clarity, the base group along with the sample size is listed under each chart and we also try to make the base group clear when quoting figures within the text. In a few cases we use an aggregate figure, which is produced with an even weighting for each country to produce an ‘average’ value. We combined this quantitative approach with a series of 14 in depth interviews. These were drawn from smartphone users who are active users of news and sport alerts. The aim was to understand preferences of this segment more fully as well as to uncover insights about possible future use. Participants for the qualitative interviews were recruited according to the following specification: • A split of men/women in each country • Half aged 18–44, half 45+ • A split of Android/Apple users • All to have news apps • All to receive notifications from the news apps • All to engage with notifications frequently • Four from Germany, the UK, and the US; two from Taiwan In addition, background interviews were conducted with representatives of news organisations including the BBC, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, Financial Times, and The Economist to understand current industry practice and inform the section on future developments.
  • 7. 7 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN Executive Summary As we move from a world of information scarcity to one of abundance, a key question is how publishers and brands can attract attention and build habit. This is a pressing issue on the smartphone, where consumers spend the majority of time with a handful of apps (Forrester Research 2015) that in most cases do not include news publishers. Our own research (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2012–16) has tracked the growing importance of smartphones, the problems of visibility for news brands, as well as the trend to use distributed platforms like social networks to consume news on these devices. Publishers see the combination of news apps and mobile notifications as a key channel for rebuilding direct relationships with users on this critical device, unmediated by third parties. The amount of consumer usage of news notifications has tripled in many countries over the last three years (Newman et al. 2016) while news organisations have been steadily increasing the volume of news alerts (Newman 2016). Other evidence shows that alerts from news publishers can lead to more frequent usage of specific news apps (University of Texas 2016)1 building loyalty that may ultimately help deliver revenue. On the smartphone, apps and notifications go hand in hand as pings and buzzes increasingly both interrupt and engage as we go about our busy daily lives. In this regard, the smartphone lockscreen and the accompanying notification-centres on Apple and Android devices look set to become a critical battleground for publishers, platforms and advertisers. But how do consumers feel about the rising tide of alerts on their smartphones? Are they engaged or annoyed? What makes a good or bad alert? How important is news as a notification category and how might these alerts develop in the years ahead? These were some of the key questions we wanted to address in this research paper using quantitative and qualitative methods across four countries. Key Findings News and information is the most important category for mobile alerts after personal communication, social networks and productivity tools. Almost two-fifths of smartphone users in Taiwan (39%) receive news alerts and a third of Americans (33%), but only around a quarter in the UK (27%) and Germany (24%). • The average number of alerts is around 10 per day but this can go up to more than 40 for heavy smartphone users. Most people say they are wary of irrelevant content being pushed to them on this most personal device. 46% say smartphone alerts feel more intrusive than those received on other devices. • Some countries are more resistant that others. Only a quarter of smartphone users (23%) in the UK say they typically accept notifications when the choice is offered. This compares with over two-fifths (44%) in Taiwan. • Around a quarter of smartphone users have uninstalled an app because of the volume of alerts (23%) but many of these are around gaming or shopping rather than news. Over two- thirds of those receiving news alerts (72%) say they value the notifications they receive and many see alerts as a critical part of the news app proposition. • The majority of those receiving news alerts (73%) are happy with the number of alerts they receive. Taiwanese smartphone users are most likely to complain they get too many alerts (22%), compared with just one in ten (10%) of those in the UK. 1 The University of Texas study found that 27% of those asked to install specific apps with notifications used them daily – or more often – compared to 12% of those asked to install the same apps without notifications.
  • 8. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 8 • Apple users tend to get more news alerts but only to the extent that they tend to be better educated and more interested in news than Android or Windows users. Take those differences away and there is very little platform impact. • Younger people tend to get more news alerts than older smartphone users and possibly for that reason they are less likely to have sounds (pings and buzzes) turned on. They are also more likely to adjust default settings in general. Winners and Losers: Broadcast Brands Do Best • Broadcast news brands top the list in most countries with 63% of those using news alerts in the UK choosing BBC News. Top alert providers in the US are CNN and Fox, both of which have driven their reputation for breaking news from the TV to the smartphone. In Germany n-tv tops the list while alerts from ARD’s Tagesschau app also performs well. • Only in Taiwan do we see a different pattern where Yahoo News takes top spot, partly because TV brands were slow to get online, ceding breaking news to Yahoo. • Most usage is currently with news brands rather than aggregators or platforms. Despite this, the recent launch of alerts through Apple News is already starting to change this dynamic for iPhone users and Facebook Messenger is offering new opportunities for anyone to use this platform to deliver messaging to the lockscreen. • Sports brands also do well in many countries, with BBC Sport in UK and Kicker in Germany most frequently cited. Sports scores are more valued than match reports, and users of both skew heavily male. Which Alerts Do Best? • Breaking news (66%) is by far the most important type of news alert that is accessed but valued by users. This is partly because this makes up a significant proportion of alerts sent but also because people are generally prepared to wait to catch up on less time-sensitive news. • In terms of tone around serious news, alerts were valued when they were delivered quickly using straightforward language. Clickbait headlines and emojis were strongly disliked in this context. There is far more latitude for creativity with feature content, lifestyle, entertainment, sport, and technology. • People click on the alert about half the time. This depends on the context and the decision is primarily driven by type of alert, the headline, and the interest this evokes. They are happy to receive ‘a few too many’ alerts (so they don’t miss stories) in the knowledge that they can easily ignore them or swipe them away. • We found significant frustration with current apps and notifications in terms of the lack of personalised options. Beyond breaking news, there are significant unmet needs for more relevant alerts around passions and work niches. Despite this, to date few people had personalised their alerts when the option was available and a substantial minority didn’t know how to find or change settings. • In terms of prospects for growth, around four in ten (38%) of those not getting news alerts say they have ‘no interest’ in taking them in the future. About a third (31%) might use them if more personally relevant alerts could be sent, while an even bigger group (36%) might use them if they could control the number and timing of alerts.
  • 9. 9 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN Summary Overall, these data show the surprising extent to which news alerts are already used and valued by existing users. Notifications are increasing the regularity with which people come back to their favourite news brand in the face of rising competition from social networks and other aggregators. But our research also suggests there is considerable growth potential for publishers because (1) smartphone use continues to increase, (2) those markets where smartphones have higher penetration have a higher number of alerts (Taiwan), and (3) younger groups are disproportionally using notifications and building them into their daily habits. Despite this, there is clearly a danger that a greater volume of alerts sent by publishers and advertisers will lead to a consumer backlash in the future. In this regard, publishers should focus as a matter of urgency on improving the relevance of their alerts through a combination of passive personalisation and more transparent and explicit controls. Beyond breaking news, we believe that there is a much wider range of opportunities to deliver more relevant timely news messages, satisfying unmet needs. Crucially, improvements to notification payloads over the next few years from mobile platforms and messaging apps will also offer opportunities to deliver alerts with new formats and approaches. These issues are discussed in the future development section in Chapter 3.
  • 10. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 10 1. The Notification Landscape and the Role of News In this chapter, we explore some of the findings of our survey of smartphone users on the overall notifications landscape. This helps provide the context into which news alerts are delivered. First-generation notifications were almost exclusively limited to text messaging (SMS), partly because of the cost associated with each message, even if it was part of a mobile subscription bundle. Today, most alerts and notifications are delivered though internet-enabled data connections and are effectively free to the consumer, while scalability is relatively cheap for the provider. They are also mainly linked to some kind of app that is either pre-installed or has been downloaded by a user. As part of the install process, the user is often offered the chance to accept or reject notifications, which may or may not include news. Types of Messages Because of the competition for attention, most popular apps, whether they are social networks, games, fitness apps or shopping discounters, send a variety of notifications in order to drive more regular usage or to communicate new features. Other push alerts are a key feature of productivity apps – for example reminders about upcoming meetings linked to an electronic calendar. Work- related communication such as email and chat apps like Slack can also add to the steady stream of messages being pushed to users through the day. Loosely we can group alerts and notifications into three groups: • Personal or work-based productivity messaging (including social media, SMS and email, calendar reminders) • Timely news and information updates (news, sport scores, weather, and travel) • Lifestyle and leisure alerts (gaming, fitness, health, shopping vouchers, etc.) Figure 1.1 Percentage of smartphone users receiving different message types Q2: Which, if any, of the following types of alerts and/ or notifications do you ever receive on your smartphone Base: All smartphone users online, US 1881, Taiwan 1025, Germany 1701, UK 1797 Figure 1.1 64% 59% 48% 44% 34% 21% 20% 13% 13% 12% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Personal/productivity (73%) Lifestyle (24%)News/Information (37%) 72% find these useful 89% find these useful 62% find these useful Q2: Which, if any, of the following types of alerts and/or notifications do you ever receive on your smartphone? Base: All smartphone users online, US = 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797
  • 11. 11 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN In general, personal messages are most used and considered most valuable by smartphone users, with, for example, 89% of those that receive calendar reminders finding these useful. Fewer people use news alerts and sports scores but satisfaction levels are high (72%). Leisure alerts are generally used less and valued less. Number of Alerts Received There is a similar pattern in the distribution of alerts across the four countries polled (see Figure 1.2). The median number is around ten alerts per day with a subsection of users (about 17%) getting more than 20 alerts a day. There are fewer of these heavy users in the UK and Germany. In general, young people (18-24s) are three times more likely to receive more than 20 alerts each day compared with over 55s. They are half as likely to receive fewer than five alerts each day. Figure 1.2 Number of alerts received by users by country and age 33% 35% 36% 33% 43% 44% 46% 44% 20% 18% 15% 15% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% United States Taiwan Germany United Kingdom 0‐4 5 to 19 20 + 19% 29%28% 23% 31% 17% 38% 13% 46% 10% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0‐4 20+ 18‐24 25‐34 35‐44 45‐54 55+ Q4. Approximately how many alerts/notifications, if any, do you receive in TOTAL in an average day? Base: All smartphone users online who ever receive alerts, US = 1668, Taiwan = 991, Germany = 1465, UK = 1494
  • 12. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 12 Around nine in ten smartphone users (92%) get some kind of alert at least once a day. About a quarter in some countries say they have uninstalled an app in the last year because of the excessive number of alerts/type of alerts they receive. This number is greatest in Taiwan (28%) and least in Germany (17%). Figure 1.3 Percentage of alerts received by country compared with uninstalls because of excessive alerts Q5: Approximately how often, if at all, do you have sounds (e.g. ping, buzz etc.) turned on for your alerts/ notifications? Showing all or mostly Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications , US 1668, Taiwan 991, Germany 1465, UK 1494 98% 93% 87% 90% 28% 26% 19% 17% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Taiwan United States United Kingdom Germany Get any alerts Uninstalled app because of alerts 23% have  uninstalled an app in  the last year  because  of the notifications that  come with it Q2: Which alerts do you ever receive on your smartphone and Q7: Have you uninstalled an app in the last year because of the number/type of alerts/notifications it sent me? Base: All smartphone users online, US = 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797 People generally love alerts, but there is also evidence that they can become frustrated by irrelevant alerts and remain wary of content pushed to this most personal device. This is especially true for users in Taiwan who receive the largest number of alerts in total. Figure 1.4 Percentage that say they are wary of content pushed to this personal device 73% 66% 66% 59% 2% 8% 7% 11% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Taiwan United States United Kingdom Germany Agree Disagree AGREE “I use my phone for my personal day to day life and don't want it filled up with stuff I don't need” “I don't want to be spammed with info it would drive me insane ” “Wary of personal details being accessed“ DISAGREE “I am confident in my ability and knowledge to have control of things” Q18. To what extent, if at all, do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The personal nature of a smartphone makes me careful abou the type of information I allow to be pushed to it Base: All smartphone users who don’t use news alerts US= 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797 Q18. To what extent, if at all, do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The personal nature of a smartphone makes me careful about the type of information I allow to be pushed to me Base: All smartphone users online, US= 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797
  • 13. 13 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN The smartphone is also seen as more intrusive than other devices, again with the strongest negative feelings in Taiwan. The always-on nature of the device makes many users feel persecuted by alerts. It keeps on buzzing until you see them. It’s like bugging you all day long. The phone is always with me. The other devices aren’t and therefore are not as much of a nuisance. I feel compelled to check them immediately. Other users, particularly in the UK and Germany, feel more confident in their ability to control the number of alerts as needed. If I found them intrusive, I wouldn’t have them on my phone. I spend more time on my computer so alerts on it are more irritating than those on my smartphone. Setting Preferences, Accepting Notifications and the Use of Sounds Overall, younger and more confident smartphone users are more likely to control their settings. More over-45s say they don’t know how to change settings for notifications, compared to under- 35s. Younger groups are also much less likely to have sounds on – probably because they receive many more messages and are checking the phone more frequently. Figure 1.5 Percentage changing notification settings by age Figure 1.5 % changing notifications settings by age 34% 51% 28% 5% 31% 46% 29% 4% 28% 39% 22% 6% 27% 32% 16% 9% 22% 26% 12% 13% 0% 20% 40% 60% Turned  notifications ON Turned notifications OFF Adjusted frequency of notifications Don't know how to change settings 18‐24 25‐34 35‐44 45‐54 55+ Over 55s are 3x more likely to  have sounds  turned on all or  most of the time  compared to  U35s Q7. Have you done any of the following over the last year? Base: All smartphone users online, US 1881, Taiwan 1025, Germany 1701, UK 1797 Q7. Have you done any of the following over the last year? Base: All smartphone users online, US = 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797 On average around half of all smartphone users who use alerts have sounds turned on all or most of the time, with the highest proportion in Germany (54%) and the lowest proportion in the UK (42%). Over two-fifths (44%) of Taiwanese smartphone users accept notifications all or most of the time when offered. In the UK only a quarter (24%) do this. Young people are more likely to accept notifications than older groups.
  • 14. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 14 Figure 1.6 Percentage Accepting notifications in the first place Q6: When installing a new app, you will usually be asked if you are prepared to accept and receive alerts and/ or notifications from the app. How often do you do this? Showing all or most of the time Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications , US 1668, Taiwan 991, Germany 1465, UK 1494 Figure 1.6 % accepting notifications in the first place 44% 34% 30% 24% 0% 20% 40% Taiwan United States Germany United Kingdom 11% 4% 11% 5% 10% 6% 10% 8%8% 8% 0% 20% 40% All the time None of the time 18‐24 25‐34 35‐44 45‐54 55+ Q6: When installing a new app, you will usually be asked if you are prepared to accept and receive alerts and/or notifications from the app. How often do you do this? Showing all or most of the time Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications, US = 1668, Taiwan = 991, Germany = 1465, UK = 1494 The Impact of Platform Google’s Android is the biggest platform in every country surveyed but Apple devices play a bigger role in the UK and US (see Figure 1.7). The latest Apple software release (iOS 10) has increased the prominence of alerts and introduced a range of new features that may over time considerably change the experience (see Chapter 3). Android is on the same path and recent upgrades have added prominence for notifications and increased the potential payload. Figure 1.7 Percentage using each mobile platform by country Q1: Which ONE, if any, of the following BEST describes which operating system (OS) your smartphone uses Base: All smartphone users online, US 1881, Taiwan 1025, Germany 1701, UK 1797 28% 19% 15% 31% 47% 76% 55% 45% %1%3 9% 8% 21% 2% 21% 17% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% United detinUynamreGnawiaTsetatS Kingdom Apple Other (Microsoft/Blackberry)Android No smartphone/Don’t Know Figure 1.7 % using each mobile platform by country Q1: Which ONE, if any, of the following BEST describes which operating system (OS) your smartphone uses? Base: All adults online, US = 2336, Taiwan = 1044, Germany = 2093, UK = 2104 Users of the Apple operating system (iOS) tend to receive 10% more news alerts on average than Android users, but we need to bear in mind that this is largely because they have higher levels of education and are more interested in news. In countries where this doesn’t apply, like Taiwan, we see no platform effect. By contrast, Apple users in the UK get more than half (53%) of all news notifications, despite only making up 31% of smartphone users. This may be because UK news publishers have focused more on Apple apps than Android ones in the past.
  • 15. 15 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 2. News Notifications in Detail In this chapter, we drill down into current news behaviour around news alerts using survey data alongside insights from our in-depth interviews with news users. The Key Numbers Almost four in ten (39%) Taiwanese smartphone users get news alerts, compared with just a quarter of smartphone users in the UK (27%) and Germany (24%). As Figure 2.1 shows, users of news alerts and sports scores tend to be male, whereas users of personal messaging tend to skew female. Figure 2.1 News alerts by country and age Q5: Approximately how often, if at all, do you have sounds (e.g. ping, buzz etc.) turned on for your alerts/ notifications? Showing all or mostly Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications , US 1668, Taiwan 991, Germany 1465, UK 1494 Figure 2.1 News alerts by country and age 39% 33% 27% 24% 0% 20% 40% Taiwan United States United Kingdom Germany NEWS USERS  TEND TO BE MALE Younger people use more alerts but this doesn’t  apply to news M F U35 55+ Personal messages 61% 67% 74% 55% News 35% 27% 31% 32% Sports scores 13% 5% 13% 10% Q1: Which, if any, of the following types of alerts and/or notifications do you ever receive on your smartphone? Base: All smartphone users online, US = 1881, Taiwan = 1025, Germany = 1701, UK = 1797 Based on the wider Digital News Report data we know that people who receive alerts are twice as likely to be part of the relatively small news lover group that is both interested in news and accesses news frequently, compared with more casual users. Despite getting fewer news alerts, users in the UK say they value them more than those in Taiwan (77% compared with 64%). This higher level of satisfaction in the UK can also be seen in the high percentage (80%) saying they get ‘just the right number of alerts’ shown in Figure 2.2. Only one in ten say they get too many news alerts in the UK compared with 22% in Taiwan.
  • 16. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 16 Figure 2.2 Perceptions of the number of news alerts by country Q10a: Would you say that the amount of news alerts/ notifications your currently receive on your smartphone are too few, too many, or about the right amount? Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news , US 679, Taiwan 413, Germany 475, UK 508 Figure 2.2 Perceptions of the number of news alerts by country 22% 20% 10% 19% 68% 75% 80% 72% 7% 4% 3% 5% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Taiwan United States United Kingdom Germany Too many news alerts Just right To few Q10a: Would you say that the amount of news alerts/notifications you currently receive on your smartphone are too few, too many, or about the right amount? Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news, US = 679, Taiwan = 413, Germany = 475, UK = 508 In our qualitative interviews we found users in all countries to be generally satisfied with the frequency of mobile news notifications. Most of those we spoke to preferred to receive slightly too many and to put up with irrelevant alerts because they felt it was better than missing out. I don’t want to disable my notifications. There might be something I am interested in. (Female, US) Users were generally confident to swipe/delete notifications if they weren’t relevant but some news brands were specifically chosen because they could be trusted not to send too many alerts. Tagesschau [German public broadcaster] don’t send a massive amount of notifications, they only send the most important ones. It’s manageable and that’s important. (Male, Germany) The sound of frequent notifications is often seen as irritating and many tend to keep their phone on silent/vibrate when at work but are happy to turn it on when they get home. I don’t like getting auditory notifications. I’d like just flash-ups to tell me there is something there, without necessarily showing me what it is. That’s obviously a bit more private. (Male, UK) United Kingdom Almost two-thirds of those receiving news alerts (63%) in the UK currently receive them from the BBC (see Figure 2.3), which has made a point of only sending a small number of alerts each day on matters of national and international importance. The Guardian has been experimenting with new alert formats linked to its app while Mail Online, the UK’s most popular online newspaper, performs relatively badly with alerts. Much of its traffic comes from social media or search rather than loyal direct traffic linked to an app.
  • 17. 17 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN Figure 2.3 Top brands for news alerts (UK) 63% 29% 10% 7% 7% 6% 6% 4% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 20% 40% 60% BBC News Sky News The Guardian ITV News Local or city newspaper Mail Online The Sun Mirror Online The Telegraph Huffington Post BuzzFeed News Breakingnews.com The Times Reddit New York Times The Economist Smart News Nuzzel Quartz Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/ notifications from? Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts, UK = 508 The BBC sends only around 10-15 breaking news alerts each week Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/notifications from? Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, UK = 508 BBC Sport and Sky Sports were also the most frequently cited services in this genre. Both have recently started to experiment with a wider range of alerts including personalised football alerts, reminders of match starting times, and increasing use of rich media such as video. United States Media companies with a TV background (Fox and CNN) battle it out for top spot in mobile notifications, building on a reputation for breaking news established via cable TV. The New York Times is investing in a wide range of mobile alerts. Quartz has launched a critically acclaimed ‘conversational’ app, which uses notifications as a primary traffic driver. Breakingnews.com is a start-up, which focuses just on notifications across multiple platforms including its own apps. Others, like the Wall Street Journal and Guardian America, have been leveraging messaging functionality within Facebook Messenger to get alerts to the lockscreen. Figure 2.4 Top brands for news alerts (US) 23% 22% 22% 16% 14% 13% 12% 12% 12% 10% 10% 9% 7% 6% 6% 5% 3% 2% 2% 1% 0% 20% 40% 60% Fox News CNN Local TV news Yahoo news NBC/MSNBC New York Times Local or city newspaper CBS Huffington Post USA Today BBC News Washington Post BuzzFeed News Reddit Breakingnews.com MSN Smart News Nuzzel Vox Quartz Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/ notifications from? Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts, US = 679 Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/notifications from? Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, United States = 679
  • 18. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 18 Germany The top brands for notifications in Germany broadly reflect the strongest online properties but again a TV company (n-tv) overperforms. It was one of the first to develop a news app in 2009 and has also experimented with sending alerts through WhatsApp. Public broadcasters ARD and ZDF have a strong alert presence linked to their apps, despite protests and at least one legal challenge from German publishers. BILD’s app is a paid-for product which is likely to be one factor reducing the reach of its news alerts. Sport apps like Kicker are also heavily used in Germany for football goal alerts. Figure 2.5 Top brands for news alerts (Germany) 25% 22% 17% 17% 15% 15% 10% 9% 9% 7% 6% 5% 5% 4% 1% 0% 20% 40% 60% n‐tv Spiegel Online Focus Online Tagesschau (ARD) BILD N24 News ZDFheute Local or city newspaper Stern Süddeutsche/SZ.de Welt Online Huffington Post Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Zeit Online Upday Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/ notifications from? Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts, Germany = 475 Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/notifications from? Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, Germany = 475 Taiwan Yahoo News is the most widely used for notifications followed by Apple News, Taiwan’s leading Chinese-language newspaper, and UDN a popular daily broadsheet. Foreign news apps like the BBC and CNN also perform well with younger users.
  • 19. 19 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN Figure 2.6 Top brands for news alerts (Taiwan) 41% 32% 22% 19% 11% 10% 10% 9% 9% 8% 8% 7% 6% 6% 0% 20% 40% 60% Yahoo News (奇摩新聞) Apple Daily (台灣蘋果日報) UDN News (聯合新聞網) EBC (東森新聞) NOWnews(今日新聞網) SETN (三立新聞) China Times(中時電子報) CTITV (中天) TVBS News (VBS 新聞) BBC News CNN Liberty Times (自由時報) FTV (民視) Pchome News (Pchome 新聞) Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/ notifications from? Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts, Germany = 679Q9. Which, if any, of the following apps do you receive news alerts/notifications from? Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, Taiwan = 413 Types of News Alerts Breaking (66%) and world news (40%) are the most valued content types for smartphone users who use alerts across all countries. This is not surprising as it is also currently the main focus of news alerts sent by news organisations. Users in Taiwan are particularly interested in technology alerts, as well as entertainment and lifestyle. Germans tend to be less interested in breaking news (59%), compared with the other countries surveyed but are more interested in political and regional alerts. British users have a strong interest in breaking news (64%) as well as sport scores (35%). Finally, US smartphone users have a strong interest in political news (39%) and breaking news (69%), though this is perhaps not surprising as our research was conducted at the height of the 2016 presidential campaign. Figure 2.7 Interest in different types of news alerts (all countries) 66% 40% 36% 33% 28% 25% 22% 19% 17% 17% 15% 15% 11% 0% 20% 40% 60% Big breaking news stories World news Local or regional news Political news Sports news Business or economic news Health or education news Technology news News app has updated Science news Environmental news Entertainment news Lifestyle news Q11. Which, if any, of the following types of alerts do you find valuable when you receive these?  Base: All smartphone uses who receive news/sport alerts US 679 Taiwan 413 Germany 475 UK 508 Figure 2.7 Interest in different types of news alerts (all countries) Q11. Which, if any, of the following types of alerts do you find valuable when you receive these? Base: All smartphone users who receive news/sport alerts, US = 679 Taiwan = 413 Germany = 475 UK = 508
  • 20. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 20 Is the Notification Enough? For many users in many contexts, just the notification itself is enough and delivers considerable value. It’s ideal to get 80% of information just from the notification without clicking into the full article. (Male, Taiwan) I unlock my phone, swipe down with my finger, get the quick view and then I see that there was a notification. From the first few words, I usually know if it’s interesting for me or not. And sometimes, I don’t want to read it. (Male, Germany) At other times, and for other users, the alert is a useful prompt to click to a full article or video. Overall, only less than half of alerts (44%) said they tap on these to receive them to get further information, with Germans the most likely to click back to a story. Figure 2.8 Extent to which users click on alerts to find out more Figure 2.8 Extent to which users click on alerts to find out more 60% 43% 41% 35% 29% 45% 49% 52% 9% 11% 9% 11% 0% 20% 40% 60% Germany United States Taiwan United Kingdom All/Most of the time Some of the time Rarely/Never Q13a. Approximately how often do you tap on an alert to read the full story? Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news , US 679, Taiwan 413, Germany 475, UK 508Q13a. Approximately how often do you tap on an alert to read the full story? Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news, US = 679, Taiwan = 413, Germany = 475, UK = 508 There are currently no advertising opportunities for publishers on a lockscreen, so the aim for most publishers is clickthough. Subscription-based and publicly funded news organisations are also interested in bringing users back to an app where they can engage them in more content. But there is clearly a balance to be struck around conveying new information and enticing users to click for more. In our interviews, we found that it was important that the language used in the notification was factual, displaying a clear and accurate summary of the story. ‘Clickbait’ or sensationalist headlines were viewed dismissively. The news title doesn’t match with the content sometimes. It feels like being cheated. (Male, Taiwan)
  • 21. 21 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN Tone and Language Across markets, there was a strong sense that the language used in the notifications needs to be sober and serious, to reflect the nature of the important ‘breaking’ news item that lies behind it. This was particularly true in Germany, but a little less important in the United States. We explored a range of different tones and approaches for alerts including the use of emojis and headlines that tease or ask questions. Overwhelmingly a neutral tone was preferred but there was much more latitude for creativity and humour with feature content, lifestyle, entertainment, and sport. I’m not that interested in teasers because they can get a bit irritating if you want to find out about something. (Male, UK) I prefer facts. I don’t need to guess what it means. It should be simple and clear. I could decide to read or not by just a quick glance. (Female, Taiwan) Motivations for Getting Alerts The most important reason for signing up to alerts was to keep informed about things relevant to personal interests (59%). A further quarter (28%) said they used alerts for following topics relevant to work interests. There is clearly a significant demand for personalised and targeted alerts. At the same time, it is clear that users don’t want to miss out on important news. Half (50%) said that they wanted to know about news that might affect their personal safety or that of their friends or colleagues, perhaps not surprising given current fears about terrorist attacks, random shootings, and crime levels in many countries. This figure was considerably higher in Taiwan (62%) and the United States (56%) than in the UK (37%) and Germany (36%). Four in ten (41%) said they used alerts because they wanted to be first to know about breaking or important news. This motivation partly relates to interest in news in general but there is also a connection with using news as a conversation starter. Almost a third (31%) said that alerts and notifications provided something to talk about with friends and colleagues. Figure 2.9 Reasons for using news alerts 1. KEEPING ME INFORMED ON TOPICS RELEVANT TO ME 59% 2. WORRIES ABOUT SAFETY/SECURITY 50% 4. SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT WITH FRIENDS 31% Figure 2.9 Reasons for using news alerts 3. BE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT IMPORTANT NEWS 41% Q12. Which, if any, of the following are reasons why you ever use a news (or sports news) alert service? Base: Those who receive alerts and notifications for news/sports news, US = 679, Taiwan = 413, Germany = 475, UK = 508
  • 22. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 22 Those Who Don’t Receive News Alerts In terms of understanding the potential for growth, we also explored the motivations of those who have not yet signed up to news alerts and looked at what features might encourage different groups to do so in the future. ALERT AVOIDERS About half (51%) are deliberately avoiding news notifications on their smartphone but for a range of different reasons. Just under a third (30%) say they are interested in news but don’t want or need to see it on their phone. More than one in ten (14%) say they are trying to spend less time on their smartphone, almost one in ten (8%) say they are not interested in news at all, and 8% say they don’t want to hear about bad or negative news on their smartphones during the day. I feel miserable when I see bad headlines. Who wants to wake up to six children dead in Australian shooting spree? OVERLOADED Just over a third (36%) are concerned about being sent too many alerts or alerts that are not relevant to them. About one in ten (8%) worry about getting distracted by the news (taking them away from other tasks that are more important or more interesting to them) while a similar percentage (7%) say they are trying to spend less time monitoring news. In total this group of Overloaded users make up 43% of those not currently receiving alerts. I just don’t want things to be constantly bombarding me. FRIENDSTERS There is a further group that does not sign up for alerts because they prefer to keep alerts for messages from their friends (15%). This group has a higher proportion of young people in it because of the focus on using smartphones to communicate with friends. Clearly there are overlaps between these three groups of Avoiders, Overloaded, and Friendsters, but the extent to which people can be persuaded to engage with news alerts will likely depend on these core motivations, which in turn are based on the wider context of their lives.
  • 23. 23 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN Figure 2.10 Reasons for not getting news alertsFigure 2.10 Reasons for not getting news alerts Q16. You said previously that you don't receive alerts/ notifications on your smartphone for news , Which, if any, of the following are reasons for this Base: Smartphone users who do not use alerts = 4329 Avoiders (51%) Overloaded (43%) Friendsters (15%) 36% 30% 15% 14% 8% 8% 8% 7% 0% 20% 40% Worry about too many/irrelevant alerts I am interested in news but I don’t want to see it on  my phone I want to keep alerts/ notifications mainly for my friends I am trying to spend less time on my smartphone I am not interested in news I don’t want to hear about bad or negative news I worry about getting distracted by the news Trying to spend less time monitoring news Q16. You said previously that you don’t receive alerts/notifications on your smartphone for news. Which, if any, of the following are reasons for this? Base: Smartphone users who do not use alerts = 4329 Potential for Growth In the light of these reasons for rejecting news alerts, we asked users what might encourage them to sign up. Around four in ten (38%) said nothing could persuade them to do so. A significant proportion of these were Avoiders who have decided that the smartphone is not a place for news or are actively trying to spend less time on their smartphone. The other two groups listed above said they would potentially be much more interested if there were more controls (36%) over frequency and time of day or if alerts could be personalised (31%). Figure 2.11 What features might encourage you to sign up for news alerts? Figure 2.11 What features might encourage you to sign up for news alerts? 38% 24% 21% 17% 16% 15% 0% 20% 40% Nothing would encourage me to use or install news alerts Being able to personalise alerts to subjects relevant to my passions Being able to control the number of alerts Being able to reduce duplication of news alerts Being able to control the time of day I receive news alerts Being able to personalise alerts to  subjects relevant to my work Q17. Which, if any, of the following features would encourage you to use or install alerts/ notifications for news (or sports news)? Base: Smartphone users who do not use alerts = 4329 Controllers (36%) Rejecters (38%) Personalisers (31%) Q17. Which, if any, of the following features would encourage you to use or install alerts/ notifications for news (or sports news)? Base: Smartphone users who do not use alerts = 4329 Our data show that more than half of users (58%) who say they don’t currently use alerts because they are worried about too many/irrelevant alerts could be persuaded by features that provide more
  • 24. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 24 control. More that half (53%) of the same group are interested in options that would provide more relevant or personalised alerts. This marks a significant opportunity. The smaller Friendster group, which tends to be younger is a little less biddable but four in ten (40%) could also be persuaded by more relevant and personalised alerts, particularly if news organisations extended them beyond political and world news.
  • 25. 25 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 3. Current and Future Developments In this section we explore new approaches from media companies, as well as detailing technical changes that are being introduced by platforms. This is not a comprehensive survey, for which much more detailed research would be required. Rather, it is a snapshot of activity from leading media companies to illustrate how the market might develop and to contextualise the audience perspective that is the main focus of this report. Across the industry we see considerable interest in alerts and notifications as news organisations look to engage loyal users in the face of intense competition from platforms and other providers. App-Based Approaches News companies with strong install app bases have been focusing on these direct channels for increasing engagement. The New York Times has set up a team to specifically focus on creation and scheduling of notifications and push alerts without overly annoying and interrupting users. We used to be standing on a hill and shouting messages at people, [but now] there’s a growing number of users who only engage with us when we send a push.2 Andrew Phelps, Product Director of Messaging and Push, NYT Through 2016 the Times has been focusing on personalising notifications to people’s interests, going beyond breaking news. Experiments have involved customising pushes based on reading history, time of day, language, and also based on the author of a particular story. For example, a story about the renaming of Mount McKinley as Denali was pushed only to audiences in particular time zones, while a notification about a magazine story on Columbia twins was sent (in Spanish) to those who had Spanish language selected as their preferred language on their mobile. BBC Sport has had success through sending breaking alerts to several million people along with automated football and cricket scores based on known preferences. Many of those alerts provide a useful service in their own right but don’t create significant engagement or bring people back to the BBC app. Now the Salford-based team is looking to extend the choice of personalised alerts but also bring more return traffic. They are trying to engage users with exclusive content, including reminders when live coverage is about to start, post-match analysis, and video highlights content. The team has also been trying to understand more about the frequency of alerts and the right time to interrupt users. An early morning alert for an Olympic video round-up, for example, reached tens of thousands of users each day. What we’ve found is that a good alert is as powerful as a Facebook post.3 Stuart Rowson, Editor, BBC Sport online BBC News is also embarking on a new project to deliver more customised alerts. It is looking to use its huge installed base of app users to extend notifications beyond breaking news and will be exploring tone of voice, new formats, and more personalised alerts over the next year. More broadly, the wider My BBC personalisation project is exploring machine learning and segmentation techniques to improve messaging across platforms and genres. 2 http://digiday.com/publishers/inside-new-york-times-new-push-notifications-team 3 Personal communication with Stuart Rowson, Editor, BBC Sport online, Nov. 2016.
  • 26. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 26 Web-Based Approaches via Android Many publishers do not have the advantage of a large installed app base and have been exploring other ways to get content to users. The Guardian Mobile Innovation Lab has been conducting a series of experiments around notifications through 2016. Many of these were aimed not at app users, but at reaching audiences through browser-based technologies on Android devices (Chrome). During the Olympics they tested formats for Android users, such as real-time medal alerts, a daily leaderboard, quizzes, and a ‘morale meter’ poll.4 Figure 3.1 Guardian Mobile Innovation Lab Olympic experiments Figure 3.1 Guardian Lab Olympic experiments SIGN UP PAGE ALERTS ON AN ANDROID PHONE THE QUIZ FORMAT Overall, the Guardian found that the ‘utility-based’ medal alerts and leaderboards were much more valued by users than the interactive quizzes and polls. Critically, it also found that if personalisation was offered, it would be used, even if - as in this case - there were over 200 country-based options. The Guardian also ran experiments via Android’s Chrome browser for the Brexit vote and during the US presidential election debates. Bots and Chat Apps Chatbots are artificially intelligent programmes that interact with people through messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Kik, or Line. Publishers are interested because these platforms have almost as many users as social networks, though very few are currently using these for news. In April, Facebook opened up its Messenger platform to let publishers (and brands) interact with its one billion active users. Because Messenger is an app, it is also possible for publishers to use this mechanism to deliver alerts direct to the lockscreen on Apple or Android devices. Subscribers to CNN receive a daily digest of top stories right within the Messenger interface (see Figure 3.2). The bot can also recommend personalised content based on a user’s preferences and learned interests or it can hold a conversation with a user about an ongoing story. 4 https://medium.com/the-guardian-mobile-innovation-lab/what-we-learned-covering-the-olympics-through- notifications-fd293b8839ab#.gsel4i48f
  • 27. 27 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and ABC Australia are other publishers who have launched products for Messenger. Figure 3.2 Wall Street Journal and CNN Chat bots (right) Mic has developed a bot called Mic Check Yourself, which focuses more on deep dive interaction with one top story a day. In sport the NBA experimented with a bot that allowed users to request specific highlights featuring any player from the two teams in the 2016 finals. The Financial Times experimented with WhatsApp around the Brexit vote. This initially involved offering a free (non-paywalled) story each day and then for a few days a channel with all Brexit content available without a paywall. The Economist has been experimenting with messaging app Line, which is popular in many parts of Asia. Line surfaces content via push notifications and via a Facebook-style homepage feed. The Economist team has been experimenting with different types of bitesize messages, including audio push alerts.5 For subscription-based businesses these chat- based alerts and bots may be more useful for marketing than building relationships with existing users. Publishers say that their notifications experiments often have a bigger payback than traditional email alerts but this may be because they are engaging with early adopter audiences or that spam has not yet become a significant issue. The prize may ultimately be greater than email but getting people to sign up for alerts in this personal space remains a key challenge. Other Aggregator Platforms Beyond chat apps there are a number of other aggregator apps that are targeting the mobile notification space. Flipboard, Smartnews, Nuzzel, and Upday use largely automated notifications to drive much of their traffic. Fast-moving or popular stories tend to be prioritised by these apps, with some taking advantage of social connections too. Apple News introduced notifications for the first time with the iOS 10 upgrade providing another opportunity for publishers like CNN and the Daily Telegraph in the UK (both launch partners) to reach the lockscreen,6 though the resulting clickthough goes to the Apple News version of the story. CNN have suggested the new Apple functionality is a game changer, reporting that daily notifications grew from 188,000 users at launch to 3.7 million just a few weeks later.7 5 http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/05/07/economist-talks-advantages-line-over-whatsapp-mobile-messaging-push and personal conversation with Denise Law, The Economist community editor, Oct. 2016. 6 Personal conversation with Mike Adamson, Telegraph, Oct. 2016. 7 http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/11/after-a-slow-start-apple-news-is-emerging-as-a-significant-traffic-driver-for-some- news-orgs Figure 3.2 Wall Street Journal and Chat bots (right)
  • 28. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 28 Richer Payloads on the Way Equally significant has been the overhaul of the entire notifications system within the iOS 10 operating system. This enables a much richer set of menus to be offered along with rich media such as videos, graphics, and even live data being pushed directly to the lockscreen.8 NBC News has started to push photos, maps, and infographics in its notifications. Users could expand the alert, for example, to get a full view of the US election battleground without having to wait for the app itself to open (see Figure 3.3). In a further development, the Guardian experimented on election night with alerts on both Android and iOS where live data updates were pushed for the first time to a real-time scorecard on the lockscreen. Over 200,000 people signed up, driving around 800,000 extra clicks to the live blog.9 Figure 3.3 Rich media payloads in new iOS 10 notificationsFigure 3.3 Rich media payloads in new iOS10 notifications NBC ALERT WITH MAP GUARDIAN WITH LIVE DATA WALL STREET JOURNAL VIA APPLE NEWS Major league baseball has also started to use the new functionality, sending alerts with video highlights of games embedded in them. Youth-focused Mic.com is also experimenting with video (Figure 3.4). Figure 3.4 Video notifications direct to the lockscreen Figure 3.4 Video notifications direct to the lockscreen 8 http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/06/video-notifications-apple-news-subscriptions-and-other-takeaways-for-publishers- from-apples-wwdc-2016-keynote 9 Personal conversation with Rob Phillips, Guardian Product Manager, Nov. 2016.
  • 29. 29 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN Wearable Alerts We are also starting to see alerts delivered beyond the smartphone. Two of those we interviewed were receiving and also valuing alerts on a smart watch: It is even cooler to receive a push notification, knowing what’s happening, being up to date. That is even more convenient, you don’t need to get your phone out, I think that’s great. The smart watch is very good for that. (German respondent - uses Samsung Gear) Because I’ve got an Apple watch I tend to get most of my notifications on my watch rather than on my phone. (UK Respondent - uses Apple Watch version 1) On a watch, notifications trigger a slight vibration on the wrist which allows information to be glanced at but there is no possibility to click through to more content. News organisations have been experimenting with snackable content specifically for the watch but the small number of users has not made it worth devoting too much effort to so far. Over time, however, the wearable sector could become a far more important part of the picture with new ways of triggering and displaying different kinds of alerts.
  • 30. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 30 4. Conclusions and Recommendations for Publishers The development of both the content and the technology for notifications is moving at an extremely rapid pace. It is likely that the Android and Apple notification platforms will be every bit as important for the news industry as Facebook Instant Articles, Google AMP, and Snapchat Discover have already become. The role of the lockscreen as a gateway to content has been talked about for many years but only now are we seeing the ease of use and range of functionality begin to meet those expectations. This research shows that the majority of smartphone users (69%) have downloaded at least one news app, but only 20% are using news apps on a weekly basis.10 This mismatch essentially shows the problem of visibility faced by news organisations but also the potential for this functionality to close that gap. Carefully targeted alerts may be able to bring audiences back more regularly, and help build a deeper relationship with loyal users that may eventually translate into advertising or subscription revenue. In our survey almost half of smartphone users who are not currently using news alerts say they might be interested in the future. A combination of more prominent interfaces, better targeting, the growing importance of mobile in general and the popularity of alerts with younger generations add up to a significant new opportunity for publishers. Having said that, there are still many uncertainties and obstacles to overcome. As we’ve seen in this report, many users are extremely wary of being sent irrelevant messages on this most personal device. There is a danger that the opportunity will be killed by bad actors spamming consumers – rather as excessive and interruptive digital advertising has led to consumers to embrace adblockers. There is also no guarantee that publishers have the right skills to seize the opportunity. Smartphone users – particularly casual users who are not loyal to a specific brand - may prefer to get alerts from aggregators or from platforms that can offer a wider range of content and more sophisticated technology to personalise alerts effectively. There are, however, some clear messages and recommendations for publishers in this research: 1. Convert your own app users It is striking that only around 50% of app users are currently configured to receive alerts. These are by definition interested in news and loyal to at least one news brand. Finding ways to communicate the benefits of alerts to these users will offer the quickest route to growth, along with promoting app use in general and persuading web users to take advantage of alerts. Given the concerns highlighted in this research about alert overload, communication should focus on reassurance on issues of control and relevance. 2. Personalisation will be key This research shows that that, although there is a significant number of people who have no interest in news alerts under any circumstances, many would be interested if alerts were more relevant. This means offering a more granular choice of alerts beyond breaking news and delivering these at the right time and in the right place. This in turn will require a deep understanding of audiences, along with investment in technical solutions that learn about individual preferences based on usage and other signals. This will be important because most users, particularly older groups, tend not to make or change selections manually. However, as discussed above, automated solutions need to be combined with explicit and transparent overrides that allow consumers to control the number and timing of alerts. 10 The 20% figure comes from data collected from the Digital News Report 2016, and is an average of US, UK, and Germany.
  • 31. 31 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 3. Map out a clear strategy for the lockscreen Developing a strong news app habit will be a clear advantage as notifications become more central, but this will not be an option for all news organisations given the cost of maintenance and problems of discoverability. As the Guardian Innovation Lab has shown, however, there are many other ways to the lockscreen. On Android devices it is possible to deliver alerts using the Chrome browser and manage sign ups via a mobile news website. Other publishers are experimenting with third-party apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Line, or Apple News and delivering alerts through these platforms. All these third-party options involve compromises but they will be worth evaluating to understand which fits particular objectives and business models best. 4. Take advantage of emerging formats Insights from our research suggest that smartphone users often want more than a headline but less than a full article. They certainly don’t want to wait for several seconds for an app to load when they have just a few seconds to take in information. Some of the new alert formats introduced by platforms over the last year offer opportunities to push rich media in a way that plays instantly and natively and even allows news interactions on the lockcreen itself. These rich ‘mobile moments’ are likely to become the norm over the next few years and it will be important to experiment and learn from these new opportunities. 5. Experiment with tone and style We are still in the early stage of mobile notifications. While factual headlines are valued by many, there are signs in our interviews that around personal passions and niches there is an opportunity to be more playful with the tone and type of alerts. As BBC Sport have been showing, it may be worth distinguishing between simple push alerts that provide a service and those that are designed to bring users back to something more substantial. This research has only scratched the surface on a subject that is likely to gain much more attention in the years to come. There is more we need to know about user expectations, about whether alerts drive deeper or narrower engagement with the news and about whether publishers, platforms, or aggregators will ultimately benefit most. But with the smartphone fast becoming the main device for digital access, the battle for the lockscreen is set to intensify in the years to come.
  • 32. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 32 References Newman, N. 2016. Media Journalism and Technology Predictions. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Jan. http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/publications/2016/predictions-2016 Newman, N., Fletcher, R., Levy, D. A. L., and Nielsen, R. K. 2016. Digital News Report 2016. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. http://www.digitalnewsreport.org Techcrunch 2015. Consumers spend 85% of time in apps but only 5 see heavy use. https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/22/consumers-spend-85-of-time-on-smartphones-in-apps-but- only-5-apps-see-heavy-use University of Texas at Austin. 2016. Engaging News Project: Mobile News Notifications. Austin, TX: Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. https://engagingnewsproject.org/research/mobile-news- notifications
  • 33. 33 NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN RISJ PUBLICATIONS DIGITAL NEWS PROJECT REPORTS Journalism, Media and Technology Predictions 2016 Nic Newman Editorial Analytics: How News Media are Developing and Using Audience Data and Metrics Federica Cherubini and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen Public Service News and Digital Media Annika Sehl, Alessio Cornia, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen What’s Happening to TV News? Rasmus Kleis Nielsen and Richard Sambrook Online Video News Antonis Kalogeropoulos, Federica Cherubini, and Nic Newman Digital News Report 2016 Nic Newman, Richard Fletcher, David A. L. Levy and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen Private Sector Media and Digital News Alessio Cornia, Annika Sehl, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen Asia-Pacific Supplementary Digital News Report 2016 Kruakae Pothong and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen The Rise of Fact-Checking Sites in Europe Lucas Graves and Federica Cherubini News Alerts and the Battle for the Lockscreen Nic Newman DIGITAL NEWS PROJECT REPORTS - FORTHCOMING Digital-born News Media in Europe Tom Nicholls et al. Journalism, Media and Technology Predictions 2017 Nic Newman Beyond the Article Kevin Anderson Change Processes in Public Service Media Annika Sehl
  • 34. NEWS ALERTS AND THE BATTLE FOR THE LOCKSCREEN 34 SELECTED RISJ BOOKS (published jointly with I.B.Tauris) Journalism in an Age of Terror John Lloyd Media, Revolution, and Politics in Egypt: The Story of an Uprising Abdalla Hassan The Euro Crisis in the Media: Journalistic Coverage of Economic Crisis and European Institutions Robert G. Picard (ed) Local Journalism: The Decline of Newspapers and the Rise of Digital Media Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (ed) The Ethics of Journalism: Individual, Institutional and Cultural Influences Wendy N. Wyatt (ed) Political Journalism in Transition: Western Europe in a Comparative Perspective Raymond Kuhn and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (eds) Transparency in Politics and the Media: Accountability and Open Government Nigel Bowles, James T. Hamilton, David A. L. Levy (eds) The Media, Privacy and Public Shaming: The Boundaries of Disclosure Julian Petley SELECTED RISJ CHALLENGES (published jointly with I.B.Tauris) The Right to Be Forgotten: Privacy and the Media in the Digital Age George Brock The Kidnapping of Journalists: Reporting from High- Risk Conflict Zones Robert G. Picard and Hannah Storm Innovators in Digital News Lucy Küng Journalism and PR: News Media and Public Relations in the Digital Age John Lloyd and Laura Toogood Reporting the EU: News, Media and the European Institutions John Lloyd and Cristina Marconi Climate Change in the Media: Reporting Risk and Uncertainty James Painter Women and Journalism Suzanne Franks Transformations in Egyptian Journalism Naomi Sakr
  • 35.