Why is it important?
Advertising and circulation revenues are the lifeblood of the news media industry, funding investment in the provision of local, national and international news and information. Because they reflect the views, passions and interests of their readers in a way that no other media does, newsbrands provide advertising clients with a unique and highly trusted way to reach audiences, delivering significant return on investment.
The rise of digital audiences has also prompted news media companies to get smarter about analysing customer data
Current situation
Although print still remains at the core of the industry, news media brands have rapidly expanded their online audiences in recent years, exploring different ways to monetise their digital content, such as subscription models and paywalls. This has led to an increase in the number of commercial services offered by news media companies and opportunities for advertisers who can now buy access to the industry’s audiences across more platforms than ever before. The rise of digital audiences has also prompted news media companies to get smarter about analysing customer data in order to better understand their audiences and help their clients do the same. Native content is another area of interest currently, with publishers and advertisers in the UK and abroad looking closely at the opportunities of this format.
What action do we want to see?
The NMA is working on a range of EU and UK proposals which regulate consumer protection and business services, affecting e-commerce, advertising, sales and marketing activities. It wants to ensure that news media companies can provide new commercial services without compromising their standards of reader protection and consumer confidence, but without unnecessary burdens upon business.
The NMA supports the self-regulatory system for advertising and the code upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority. The NMA is a member of the Advertising Standards Board of Finance and the Committee of Advertising Practice.