SODP Dispatch - 14 April 2023

Happy Friday!

Let’s discuss publisher subscription strategies – more specifically, the potential of adding games to subscription bundles.

Our managing editor, Andrew Kemp, discusses the subject in his weekly Editor’s Note column:

The Super Mario Bros. film’s recent success at the global box office should be enough to convince larger publishers of gaming’s strategic potential.

The film recorded the biggest global opening weekend for an animated film, raking in $567 million over a five-day window. While the film has drawn a number of poor reviews, its financial success likely lies in its broad demographic reach — appealing to Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha alike.

Nostalgia, demand for new IP and the appeal of family friendly fodder make for a powerful combo.

While there are many reasons why the troubled 1993 Super Mario Bros. adaptation failed at the box office, one of the issues the directors cited was the fact that its target audience at the time was the children playing those games. Rocky Morton, one half of the directorial duo, argued that those kids were now grown ups, had “a voice in the cultural zeitgeist” and were eager to see such a movie in 2023.

The cultural zeitgeist that he refers to is one in which the gaming industry has come to dwarf the film, television and music industries combined. Gaming revenue is projected to hit $372 billion this year, with mobile gaming the principal driver of that growth.

And yet, despite this incredible potential, publishers seem to have largely missed the segment’s potential.

Continue reading

SEO OFFICE HOURS

MONTHLY OFFICE HOURS: APRIL 2023 REVIEW UPDATE TEARDOWN

This month, Google announced the April 2023 reviews update, which changed “product review” guidance to “review” guidance. While seemingly a small change in wording, it is, in fact, a big change. Review articles are no longer limited to products and now include services, media, destinations, games, movies, and other topics.

In this session, we will distill the meaning, implications, and why this is important to address in the next quarter. We will look at industry examples to understand how to evaluate the requirements.

Finally, all participants will have the option of submitting their website for a mini review. 1-2 links will be selected for review during the session.

WHEN: 19 April 2023 | 10 AM New York | 3 PM London | 4 PM Paris

Grab your spot

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BITE-SIZED INDUSTRY NEWS

SEOGoogle is no longer just looking at product reviews. Google's review system is now evaluating reviews about services, media and other topics. Read more

TECHSpotify announced that it is releasing new technology to turn broadcasts into podcasts for any publisher with a Megaphone account, Spotify’s podcasting platform. Read more

SEOGoogle added documentation to their Search Central pages offering guidance on a change in how videos are displayed in search results. The change reduces videos shown in search results for certain cases. Read more

AIInsider plans to begin experimenting with ways to leverage AI in its journalism, its global editor-in-chief Nicholas Carlson told Axios. Read more

BUSINESS OF DIGITAL PUBLISHINGVox Media spins off NowThis as an independent company, over a year after acquiring the outlet, takes a minority stake, and plans to keep selling ads for NowThis. Read more

TECHArtifact, the personalized news sharing app founded by Instagram’s co-founders, has added comments and discussion on articles, marking the first public social components of the new app. Read more

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