2025 Subscription Trends, Paywall Evasion, AI Copyright Fights, and More...
Thank you to this week’s sponsor, Decoded Labs, founded by two former publishing CTOs who work closely with media teams to improve platform performance and resilience. If your site is fragile, slow, or struggling under increasing AI complexity, Decoded identifies the underlying issues and helps deliver long-term platform stability—whether it's related to integrations, AI tooling, or scaling challenges. Read more here.
Today’s Long Read focuses on Zuora’s latest Subscription Economy Index report, which collates anonymised data from 600 subscription businesses. TL;DR: Hybrid models and usage-based pricing are driving growth, bloated bundles are a wrecking ball.
P.S. There will be no newsletter next week as I’m heading off for a week’s vacation.
Let’s crack on…
SEO in the Age of Agents: Takeaways From NYC SEO Week
Lily Ray is a world-leading SEO expert, and her team of 35 search professionals manage the SEO for numerous Fortune 500 corporations. She says, “NYC SEO Week was the most comprehensive SEO event I’ve ever attended” and her detailed teardown is a masterclass in where search is heading. A must-read…
Every 10th Paywall Stop Is Evaded by Readers
A team of researchers from Georgia Tech and Notre Dame studied how readers respond to paywalls: 57% leave the site entirely; 12% probe the paywall; 11% evade it; Opinion pieces are most likely to be targeted; Direct visits dominate. Key quote: “Evaders love your content but instead of paying money, they pay with effort.” Talk to them. [Research paper here].
U.S. Copyright Office Releases Pre-Pub of AI Training Report
The verdict is in, almost—The Office stops short of calling it outright infringement (i.e. theft) but casts serious doubt on fair use claims. News/Media Alliance CEO Danielle Coffey broadly welcomes the report but adds, “The primary issue we continue to face is effective enforcement and AI developers’ respect for the law.” It ain’t going to happen.
Dotdash Meredith Goes All In on Content Licensing
DDM CEO Neil Vogel blames (pancake) flat Q1 results on AI search eating traffic as well as a slump in ad spend due to “tariff uncertainty.” The publisher is leaning heavily into content licensing, with its latest deal creating Australia’s largest women’s lifestyle network. Note: Vogel says AI Overviews appear on a third of search results related to DDM’s content.
New Chatbot Designed to Keep Journalists Safe
Nikita Roy hosts the critically acclaimed Newsroom Robots podcast featuring leaders in AI and journalism. Alongside other collaborators as well as the CUNY J-School and ACOS Alliance, she’s launched JESS: Journalist Expert Safety Support. The chatbot gives reporters advice when facing danger in different environments & situations. Collaborators include Mike Christie, who led safety at Reuters.
Nordic AI in Media Summit 2025: Five Takeaways
Hosted in Copenhagen by the Nordic AI Journalism Network, Marina Adami has teased out the event’s main talking points. Standout use of AI? Sports media group Better Collective uses AI to translate and rewrite articles on its content hub in the style of another one of its publications to allow for sharing content between its titles.
One Million Uniques From Podcast Content
Chris Stone is the Head of Podcasts and Video for the New Statesman and his Substack is consistent audio-visual gold. In his latest drop he details how, “We stopped thinking of our podcast as a single-channel and started treating it as multi-channel fuel.” The result? Dramatically expanded reach and new users. Podcast video leveraged across multi-platforms has performed beyond their wildest expectations.
REPORT: Global Ad Trends: Advertising's Breaking News Problem
A new report from WARC highlights how ad spend against hard news content is in decline across channels. Ominously, by next year, advertising investment in UGC is set to overtake professionally produced content, with individual news influencers on a clear upward trend (Tucker Carlson, Redacted, etc). Global newsbrand ad spend has declined 33% since 2019.
Google AI Exec Admits His Search Team Steals Publisher Content
Under DOJ cross-examination, a Google VP confessed that AI Overviews still use content from publishers who opted out—because the opt-out only applies to DeepMind, not Search. A tidy little bait and switch. Ricky Sutton’s ongoing coverage is outstanding and worth tracking.
Agatha Christie Rises From the Dead as an AI Clone for the BBC
She’s looking remarkably better than you’d imagine for someone who is 134 years old, but here she is. BBC Maestro has digitally reanimated Agatha Christie to teach a £79 course using her own words. Christie’s family are ‘all in’ on the project. Would she approve? “We hope. But we don’t definitively know, because she’s not here.” Indeed.
AI TOOL OF THE WEEK: Mistral OCR
Got old PDFs, scanned articles, and scrappy archives? Mistral OCR turns complex documents—including handwriting, tables, and images—into clean, structured, AI-ready data at speeds of 2,000 pages per minute. For publishers, it creates fully searchable archives, enhanced tagging, but most importantly, new opportunities to resurface valuable legacy content.
DIARY DATE: AI & Automation in the Newsroom of the Future
European publishing giant, Axel Springer, is hosting a day exploring the latest developments in AI in journalism. Held in partnership with German trade association MVFP, the full day event includes practical master classes and expert presentations. Berlin || 12th June. P.S. Publisher of BILD, Die Welt, Upday, Politico and (Business) Insider.
EVENT FOR YOUR DIARY: AI and Data Show: Live!
Law firm Cripps LLP is inviting media companies to hear from—and question—three of the UK’s sharpest legal minds on AI and data: Partner Matthew Holman, Barrister Jamie Susskind, and Sir Robert Buckland KC, former Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary. Includes a panel featuring the DPOs of Domino’s Pizza and Skyscanner. London || 20th May.
LONG READ...How Subscription Models Are Evolving in 2025
The latest annual Subscription Economy Index (SEI) report from Zuora offers clear evidence that recurring revenue models are holding up. Based on anonymised data from over 600 companies using Zuora’s platform, the SEI—now in its 13th year—provides one of the most consistent overviews of subscription-based business performance available.
The SEI draws on actual billing and customer data from Zuora’s clients to analyse trends in monetisation, retention, and growth—in short, it’s a data set grounded in what companies are actually doing and how customers are responding.
Amy Konary, founder of Zuora’s Subscribed Institute, and David Warren, Principal Director, Subscription Strategy at the Subscribed Institute, walked through the 2024 findings in a recent webinar.
It’s set against an all-too-familiar backdrop: ad revenue down, acquisition costs up, and subscription fatigue.
“The subscription economy has never been about subscriptions—it’s about putting the customer at the centre of the business model,” Amy Konary, Chair of the Subscribed Institute.
Why Hybrid Revenue Models Matter
Bottom line: Companies using a mix of revenue approaches—subscriptions, usage-based pricing, one-time purchases—are showing stronger performance. In fact, those with four or more revenue models saw 2.3% growth in average revenue per account (ARPA). Those with only one model saw declines.
A mix of models can give customers more ways to engage but only if those models are designed around real usage and clear value. It isn’t about adding pricing tiers or access levels for their own sake.
This might mean offering traditional subscriptions alongside day passes, metered access, or pay-per-feature tools. Each format can appeal to different levels of engagement and commitment. But they must be carefully structured, not stacked for the sake of variety.
Introducing the Product Portfolio Balance Score
This year, Zuora has introduced a new metric: the Product Portfolio Balance Score (PPBS). It measures how well a company’s offerings are used and whether the product catalogue is working. Companies with too many options—especially ones that go unused—risk confusing customers and overloading internal teams. Those with too few options miss opportunities to meet real needs.
A well-balanced product menu is one that is easy to navigate, meets a range of use cases, and sees consistent use. Companies that scored high on this new measure saw stronger retention and higher ARPA. It’s no surprise - customers stick with offers that make sense.
This is especially relevant for media businesses, where product proliferation can be a response to churn. But more offers won’t help if they lack clarity or overlap in confusing ways.
Pricing Should Reflect Customer Behaviour, Not Internal Costs
Zuora’s data shows that successful subscription companies are adjusting their pricing models based on how people buy now—not how they bought three years ago. This applies across sectors. Whether it’s streaming media, software, or manufacturing, customers want flexible access and clear outcomes.
Warren pointed out that usage-based models are increasingly common, especially in sectors where value is tied to performance.
“Adaptability is your growth lever. It's not about forcing change—it’s about listening and responding,” David Warren, Principal Director Subscription Strategy, Subscribed Institute
Lessons for Media and Publishing
Zuora’s polling found that 38% of U.S. consumers signed up for a new streaming service in 2024—despite talk of subscription fatigue.
Smart bundling, clear value, and flexibility all played a role. While 47% of subscription cancellations still follow a price increase, companies that consistently show value tend to weather those changes more effectively. Highlighting time spent, most-read content, or other user-specific data can help reinforce that value.
And bundling doesn’t have to mean offering everything in one oversized package. “Good-better-best” models or thematic bundles—news, lifestyle, sports—can give users a sense of control and reinforce perceived value.
Tactical Recommendations
Review pricing more often: Quarterly reviews grounded in usage data are more effective than annual price setting based on internal targets.
Segment by problem, not persona: Understand the specific needs people are trying to meet, rather than lumping them into broad categories.
Track ARPA alongside product usage: Use both to understand where engagement is strong and where the offer might be off.
Avoid over-bundling: Bundles can help, but only if they preserve clarity about what each product does.
Tie price increases to demonstrated value: If you can’t show users what they’re getting, it’s harder to justify charging more.
A Measured Path to Growth
The SEI makes one thing clear: companies that align their offers, pricing, and product mix with actual usage and outcomes are more likely to see stable growth. It’s about taking the time to understand what’s working, what customers value, and how that can be priced appropriately.
Warren summed it up simply: adaptability matters. For media operators, the real work lies in staying close to the user and adjusting accordingly—not chasing the latest model, but building one that fits.