Eva Johnson

Friday Five: Big Moves in Digital Media, AI, and Publisher Rights

Jumpstart your weekend with the latest edition of Friday Five! This week, we dive into several shifts that are shaping tech, media, and content rights, including OpenAI’s new “search-powered” ChatGPT, The New York Times’ attaining 11 million subscribers, Google’s sticky relationship with publishers, Silverchair’s acquisition of ScholarOne, and Google’s EU test of removing news results. 

OpenAI is rolling out a web search feature for ChatGPT

OpenAI has introduced a web search feature for ChatGPT, enabling users to access real-time information directly within the chat interface. This enhancement allows ChatGPT to automatically search the web when necessary and provides source links for its responses. The feature is currently available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users, with plans to roll it out to all users in the near future. Read more on NPR.

New York Times Reaches 11 Million Subscribers, Reports Q3 Growth Despite Slower Subscription Additions

The New York Times has just surpassed 11 million subscribers, driven mainly by growth in digital subscriptions. Despite a slowdown in new subscriber additions, the company posted strong financial results, bolstered by digital revenue and The Athletic, which turned a profit for the first time. The Times is making strides toward its goal of 15 million subscribers by 2027 while expanding its digital offerings, even as it faces challenges like labor disputes and legal expenses. Read more on Subscription Insider.

News organizations are forced to accept Google AI crawlers, says FT policy chief

News organizations are concerned that Google’s AI is using their content in ways that might reduce visits to their websites. Traditionally, Google has provided traffic to news sites in exchange for using their content in search results, a setup some publishers feel is now unbalanced. Google's new AI features summarize news articles directly in search results, which could limit the number of people clicking through to the original site. While Google gives publishers an option to prevent their content from being used in its chatbot, this doesn’t stop their articles from being summarized in search. Publishers worry they’re faced with an unfair choice: allow Google to use their content without extra compensation or lose visibility. Read more on PressGazette.

Silverchair Buys ScholarOne from Clarivate

Silverchair, a digital platform for scholarly publishing, has now acquired ScholarOne from Clarivate. This acquisition is significant because ScholarOne is a widely used platform for manuscript submission and peer review, essential steps in the publishing process for academic journals. This acquisition allows Silverchair to expand its offerings and provides Clarivate the opportunity to concentrate on its core strengths. Read more on The Scholarly Kitchen.

Google is testing the ‘impact’ of removing EU news from search results

Google is conducting a test in nine European Union countries, removing news articles from EU-based publishers from its Search, Google News, and Discover platforms (for 1% of users). This experiment aims to assess the impact on traffic and user experience, responding to EU regulators and publishers seeking more data on news content in search results. The test is temporary, and results from non-EU sources will still be displayed. This action highlights increasing pressure from regulators who believe Google should compensate publishers for their content. Read more on The Verge.



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