Newspaper & Mailroom

Paywalls highlighted at Digital Media Latinoamérica

Wednesday 21. August 2013 - Paywalls are a hot topic for news publishers everywhere in the world, and Latin America is no exception. At the first Digital Media Latinoamérica (#DML13) conference, participants will learn first-hand about content monetization from speakers including Michael Cooke, Editor of the Toronto Star in Canada, which implemented a metered paywall in mid-August of this year.

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) will hold #DML13 in Bogotá, Colombia, on 30 and 31 October next. The event will provide a key opportunity to discover how Latin America is taking its own path towards digital transformation.
With one of the world’s fastest growing broadband penetration rates, the issue of content monetization in Latin America is hotter than ever. In addition to Michael Cooke, also addressing that topic at #DML13 will be Jon Ruiz, CEO of Casa Editorial El Tiempo, Colombia, which is actively exploring paywall implementation.
With a well-established series of digital conferences in Europe and Asia, and with a global network of the world’s most successful and innovative digital thinkers, WAN-IFRA has collected best regional and international cases and strategic advice to present at #DML13.
In addition to content monetization, the conference and its regional and global presenters will speak to these topics:
– Take risks to succeed: Whether by actively seeking different revenues streams, or by fearlessly challenging conventional wisdom, success is about taking risks and thinking outside the box. Or, as Eduardo Sirotsky Melzer, CEO of Brazil’s RBS multimedia group, said recently: “There is no one silver bullet that will solve all of our issues in this industry. We must try everything, and at the same time don’t be afraid to fail.”
– Get the digital natives on your side: Finding ways to strengthen the bond with those who grew up in a digital world is one of the most important priorities in tomorrow’s news organisations.
– Get all forces rowing in the same direction: When working on paid content strategies, it is crucial to maximize profit across web, mobile, print, advertising, and subscriptions, something everyone in the publishing company needs to understand.
– Learn from the new journalistic players: Online journalism start-ups have become growingly influential in the field of investigative journalism in Latin America. What can traditional media learn from these initiatives, and vice-versa?
– Innovate (digital) Storytelling: Through data and open journalism initiatives, extensive use of infographics, hiring of developers and even hackers, many newsrooms are embracing innovative projects in order to deliver relevant, attractive, quality content.
– Study digital advertising best practices in Latin America: As digital ad spend in the region is catching up with mature Internet markets, media will soon have to address the same challenges: the growing complexity of digital marketing landscape.
– Adopt the latest in video and web-TV: Video and Web-TV are key tools to attract traffic and engage audience on digital platforms.
– Google, Facebook – how do we move forward? Latin American publishers have seen their Brazilian colleagues take strong stances against Google News, and more recently, Facebook. Speakers from the region and the world will present their views and exchange with the audience.
In addition to Michael Cooke and Jon Ruiz, confirmed speakers include Rob Grimshaw, Managing Director of FT.com; Ali Rahnema, Vice President of Digital Media for Star Media Group in Canada; Matthew Skibinski, Vice President, Affiliate Relations for Press +; and Gastón Roitberg, Multimedia Newsroom Managing Editor for La Nación in Argentina.