This Media Briefing covers the latest in media trends for Digiday+ members and is distributed over email every Thursday at 10 a.m. ET. More from the series →This week’s Media Briefing will look at why publishers including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Bloomberg are testing putting video behind the paywall to drive and retain subscriptions and adapt to shifting audience habits.
The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Bloomberg are rolling out paywalled video series and livestreams designed explicitly to convert high‑intent readers into paying subscribers and give existing subscribers more reasons to stay.
As search referrals decline and younger audiences spend more time watching video, these publishers are pulling more of their premium formats back onto their own sites and apps, rather than leaving their most valuable content on YouTube and social platforms.
While publishers have experimented with gating video before, the current wave is more explicit about using video as a core subscription product, rather than a top-of-funnel tactic to draw people in and drive engagement.
And while it’s well documented that publishers are amping up video production to grow audience engagement and open up more ad inventory, some publishers are also testing video as a way to convert and retain subscribers.
