The Business of Content with Simon Owens

Simon Owens
  • 4.8 (29)
  • News Commentary
  • Weekly

The show about how publishers create, distribute, and monetize their digital content.

  1. 2d ago

    Should DC Studios stop trying to replicate the MCU?

    After nearly two decades of trying to replicate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Studios is once again starting over. James Gunn, who was brought in four years ago to reboot the franchise, is being pushed out after overseeing just a handful of movies and TV shows. His departure raises a larger question about DC's future: Should it continue trying to build an interconnected cinematic universe, or would it be better off allowing filmmakers to develop standalone stories that don't require audiences to keep up with dozens of other projects? And given Marvel's own recent struggles, is the MCU even a model worth emulating anymore? To discuss this, I invited back Jason Krebs, a media industry veteran who's held senior roles at companies including Disney, Google, and The New York Times. We discussed why DC has struggled to replicate Marvel's success, whether interconnected franchises have become too complicated for casual audiences, and how the next generation of DC movies and shows might balance creative freedom with the commercial benefits of a shared universe. We also turned our attention to CBS News, where Ross Douthat's recent 60 Minutes interview with Donald Trump has earned praise from some of the same critics who questioned Bari Weiss's decision to hire him. Douthat's willingness to press Trump on uncomfortable topics has been hailed as a journalistic success, but does that mean Weiss's controversial leadership is finally paying off? Jason and I discussed whether the interview represents a meaningful turning point for CBS News, why 60 Minutes continues to struggle with declining ratings, and whether Weiss can rebuild the network's credibility while transforming it into a digital-first news organization.

  2. 5d ago

    The sports media company that built a nine-figure technology business

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/ When Minute Media launched 15 years ago, it was essentially a platform for soccer fans to publish their own content. Over the next decade, it evolved into a sports media conglomerate, acquiring properties like The Players' Tribune and FanSided before taking over operations of Sports Illustrated. But its most interesting evolution has arguably been on the technology side. The company, which recently shortened its name to Minute, began licensing the publishing tools it had developed for its own media properties to other publishers. Rather than charging hefty software fees, it offered those tools for free in exchange for a share of the advertising revenue they generated. Today, Minute's business is split roughly evenly between its consumer-facing media properties and its B2B technology division, the latter of which generates nine figures in annual revenue. In a recent interview, Minute president Rich Routman walked me through the company's evolution and explained how it's adapting to a media landscape increasingly dominated by platforms that don't send traffic back to publishers. We discussed why Minute's revenue-sharing approach succeeded where other publishers' technology licensing businesses struggled, how Sports Illustrated diversified its revenue to the point where its website and print magazine account for just 20% of its business, and why Minute sees partnerships with creators as a major growth opportunity.

  3. Nov 5

    Why the media industry will no longer fear Trump

    Democrats scored sweeping victories in the midterm elections, handing them control of both chambers of Congress and significantly weakening Donald Trump's political influence. But what will this shift in power mean for the media industry? For starters, media executives who spent the past two years cozying up to Trump could soon find themselves hauled before congressional committees to answer uncomfortable questions about their business dealings. Meanwhile, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr may find that his threats against broadcasters no longer carry the same weight. And the election results could further accelerate the rise of a Democratic media ecosystem that's increasingly capable of competing with traditional news outlets for audience attention. To discuss these developments, I invited back Jason Krebs, a longtime media executive who's held senior roles at companies including Google, The New York Times, and Disney. We talked about how the election could reshape the relationship between Washington and major media companies, why independent news creators are becoming an increasingly important force in political coverage, and whether the poor performance of prediction markets on election night will cause news organizations to rethink their lucrative partnerships with gambling platforms.

  4. Nov 3

    How a niche publisher survived the collapse of Google and Facebook traffic

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/ In 2007, Jonathan Thomas launched Anglotopia, a niche website dedicated to British culture, history, and travel for an American audience. What started as a side project quickly grew into a thriving media business, fueled by traffic from Google and Facebook. By 2011, Anglotopia was generating more revenue than Thomas earned at his day job, allowing him to pursue it full-time. But as Facebook began throttling referral traffic and Google search traffic steadily declined, Thomas was forced to rethink his entire business model. Today, Anglotopia has evolved into a diversified media company that generates revenue from paid memberships, book publishing, and marketing partnerships. And despite losing the vast majority of its website traffic, it continues to serve a loyal audience that includes 50,000 email subscribers. In a recent interview, Thomas explained how he transformed nearly two decades of evergreen content into a profitable book publishing business, why he abandoned advertising in favor of paid memberships and direct audience relationships, and how he's adapting to a media landscape in which Google and Facebook can no longer be relied upon to drive growth.

  5. Oct 30

    Will Instagram ever share revenue with creators?

    Instagram is making another push into longform video, hoping to convince YouTubers and podcasters to upload their content to its platform. There's just one problem: Unlike YouTube, Instagram has no established revenue-sharing program that would compensate these creators for the advertising revenue their videos generate. Instead, Meta seems to be betting that the promise of exposure will be enough to attract creators who are already monetizing their content elsewhere. But will that strategy actually work, or will Meta eventually be forced to share more of its revenue with the people who make its platforms valuable? To discuss this, I invited back Jason Krebs, a media industry veteran who's held senior positions at companies like The New York Times, Google, and Disney. We discussed why Meta has been so reluctant to embrace revenue sharing, whether that strategy has contributed to its negative public reputation, and what it would take for the company to finally change course. We also turned our attention to Netflix, which has experienced some executive upheaval as it struggles to keep subscribers engaged with its content. With YouTube capturing an increasingly large share of television viewing, Netflix has been experimenting with new formats like video podcasts in an effort to compete. But is the company doing enough to adapt to a world where consumers have access to virtually unlimited free entertainment? Jason and I debated whether Netflix should introduce a completely free, advertising-supported tier, whether it should open its platform to user-generated content, and what its future might look like as it evolves from a high-growth technology company into a more traditional media business.

  6. Oct 28

    How a recipe blogger is preparing for a post-Google future

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/ When Nicole Hunn launched the blog Gluten Free on a Shoestring in 2009, she wasn't a professional chef or an experienced media entrepreneur. She was a recently laid-off lawyer who had spent years experimenting with gluten-free recipes after her son was diagnosed with celiac disease. Frustrated by the high prices and poor quality of gluten-free products, she saw an opportunity to build a business around helping families like hers. Nearly two decades later, she's built a thriving recipe website supported by programmatic advertising, amassed an email list of 130,000 subscribers, and published six cookbooks. But like many independent publishers, she's also had to contend with unpredictable platform algorithms, declining referral traffic, and the challenges of diversifying beyond advertising revenue. In a recent interview, Hunn explained why traditional cookbook publishing never generated the kind of revenue she'd hoped for, how Google's changing search ecosystem has forced her to rethink her business strategy, and why she's now betting on direct-to-consumer products to build a more sustainable future.

  7. Oct 26

    The newsroom that built its business entirely around social media

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/ When Ramin Beheshti co-founded The News Movement in 2021, he wanted to build a news organization that could reach younger audiences without relying on traffic to a traditional website. Instead of trying to lure readers away from platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the company would produce journalism specifically designed for those platforms and figure out how to monetize the resulting audience. Five years later, that experiment has evolved into Caliber, a media holding company with more than 60 employees and a growing portfolio of brands that includes The Recount, Capsule, and a new news aggregation app called SaySo. Along the way, Beheshti has had to rethink everything from how his journalists produce videos to how the company's business model. In a recent interview, Beheshti explained why Caliber abandoned its initial reliance on traditional sponsorships in favor of building a branded content agency, how it learned to turn shortform social audiences into viewers of longer YouTube videos, and why he believes the future of his company lies in helping independent creators build sustainable media businesses without giving up their independence.

  8. Oct 21

    How the NBA's esports league reinvented itself as a media company

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/ When the NBA teamed up with video game publisher Take-Two Interactive to launch an esports league in 2017, the idea was to replicate the traditional sports model within the world of competitive gaming. NBA teams would field their own esports franchises, recruiting elite gamers to compete in organized tournaments. But as the esports industry matured, it became clear that the biggest audiences weren't necessarily tuning in to watch professional gaming competitions. Instead, they were gravitating toward individual creators on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. Recognizing this shift, the NBA and Take-Two decided to rethink their joint venture, transforming it from a traditional esports league into a broader media company that produces creator-led competitions, original video series, and social content centered on basketball culture. To lead this transformation, they hired Andrew Perlmutter, a media executive who previously worked at The Atlantic and The Daily Beast. Since becoming CEO of NBA Take-Two Media in 2023, Perlmutter has overseen the reinvention of the NBA 2K League while developing a slate of original programming designed to reach audiences well beyond hardcore basketball fans.  In a recent interview, we discussed why the traditional esports business model struggled to gain traction, how the company is building a network of creator-led shows and social media franchises, and how it plans to turn that programming into a sustainable business through sponsorships, licensing, and other revenue streams.

See All (324)

4.8
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

The show about how publishers create, distribute, and monetize their digital content.

Information

You Might Also Like