Publishers are going all in on audio and video – with Mail Metro Media's Dominic Williams

It is a challenging environment for publishers. That is no secret. Numerous publishers have had to lay off and restructure staff in recent months and, as traffic and revenue have been impacted in part by changes made by search and social media companies, as well as consumers continuing to move away from print, things have at times seemed quite dire.

But when industries face challenge, it is always met with innovation. Publishers are actively exploring and testing new ways to create unique content and reach new and young audiences with video and audio products, on social and more.

One such publisher is the Daily Mail, which has invested heavily into its AV production capacity in the past year.

Mail Metro Media's chief revenue officer, Dominic Williams, sat down with Jack Benjamin to discuss the publisher's multimedia strategy in what is a key year for politics and sport.

The pair talked about the Mail’s push into podcast and short- and long-form video; new subscription service Mail+; opportunities and challenges in selling ads in an election year; and the state of Metro’s post-pandemic recovery.

"This is the year for news. This is the year for trust," said Williams. "The whole world is going to the polls this year, so this is the year for content – and we've got the best content, we've got trusted content, we've got brand-safe content."

Highlights:

2:00: How Williams' career in media led him to Mail Metro Media

8:10: What's behind the Mail's push into audio and video products

13:13: The commercial strategy for selling podcast and video to clients

19:18: Does this election year offer a challenge for a historically conservative-leaning newspaper?

22:50: The Mail's new hybrid subscription offering and the importance of good UX

28:35: Will Metro ever recover to pre-pandemic levels?

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This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.

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