#subscriptions

#subscriptions

We've spent a lot of time this year trying to iterate on our subscription and make it more valuable. We launched with full-site access, a lighter ad experience, two subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and RSS feeds. Since then, we've added the top-requested new feature with ad-free podcasts, added commenting badges for subscribers, and started testing subscriber AMAs. We've also expanded our subscriber-exclusive newsletter offering with Optimizer, The Stepback, Regulator, and Installer, which are all essential reading.

Most companies have one path to success. Amazon has many. When it comes to e-commerce, Amazon is without equal. The company is the undisputed heavyweight champion of digital retail, with gross merchandise volume (GMV) of $790 billion in 2024. Despite the gargantuan size of its business, sales continue to grow, up 10% year over year in the third quarter. Amazon has risen through the ranks to become the world's second-largest retailer, behind only Walmart.

Publishers entered 2025 facing many of the same economic uncertainties that they navigated in 2024. But in addition to grappling with the erosion of traditional income streams, publishers are now navigating how to combat the effects of generative AI as it chips away at traffic-driven revenue from search and social media referrals. As a result, many publishers are experimenting with their subscription strategies, including pricing, plans and subscriber benefits, to retain and boost subscriptions - a longtime revenue stronghold.

That work started about a year ago when Lamaa and his team began pulling together and standardizing its data sources into a single customer data platform. It's no small task for a company that sits on everything from subscription and audience data to e-commerce signals. Think of it as building the brain that will eventually power Immediate Media's wider AI ambitions.

The company has opened a waitlist for what it's calling the " handle marketplace," where it will sell abandoned and inactive usernames. But there's a slight catch: To make a bid for one, you'll likely need to be a Premium+ or Premium Business subscriber to the site. Some handles will be effectively free, included in the cost of the subscription. But for "rare" handles, X is warning users the price tag could be steep. "Rare handles," the company wrote in an FAQ about the marketplace, "may be priced anywhere from $2,500 to over seven figures, depending on demand and uniqueness." It's unclear if usernames X took away from active users (including @music and @sports) will be included in the sale.

From Apple TV Plus to Peacock, a number of streaming services have recently increased their pricing - and Disney Plus is no exception. Starting on Tuesday, October 21st, the standalone plan with ads will jump from $9.99 to $11.99 a month, while the ad-free Premium tier will increase by $3 to $18.99 a month. The ad-free annual plan is also going up by $30, at which point it will cost $189.99 a year. Ouch.

Jack Conte hates the word "influencers." As the CEO of Patreon, he would rather people call artists "creators" if what they do is build loyal fanbases willing to pay for what they do online. While platforms like TikTok encourage their power users to sell doodads on the TikTok Shop, Patreon wants people to buy into the platform's stars. To pay a few bucks a month to read what they write or listen to what they have to say.

Forget everything you thought you knew about making money as a DJ. The old playbook - club gigs, wedding bookings, and selling CDs at shows - is about as relevant as a flip phone at a Tesla convention. Jean-Claude Bastos, who's successfully navigated this economic earthquake, puts it bluntly: "If you're still thinking like a traditional DJ, you're already extinct." His journey through both old-school and new-school monetization reveals a landscape where creativity and business savvy matter more than ever.

We want to reach 200 million paying customers. How can you use AI to improve user engagement by providing AI-powered products? How can you use [AI to] help newsroom and businesses to improve their operations? And then at the same time, how can you use AI to optimize subscription revenue and advertisement revenue? That's the core mission of [chief] AI officer,' Han said.

Invites to Perplexity's new AI-powered web browser, Comet, are one of the web's hottest commodities these days. The new product was made available first to the AI firm's $200-per-month Max subscribers and a small group of invitees. But now there's a new way to jump ahead on the waitlist. On Wednesday, PayPal announced it's giving its customers, including PayPal and Venmo users, early access to Comet as well as a free year's subscription to Perplexity Pro, normally $200 per year.

She'll succeed Peter Vandermeersch, who has been Irish CEO since 2022 and before that had served as Publisher of the Antwerp-based group's Irish titles since the takeover of the former Independent News & Media plc in 2019. The news was announced to staff on Wednesday morning. Peter Vandermeersch is moving to take on a new group-wide role as Mediahuis Fellow 'Journalism and Society'.

Americans are drowning in subscriptions, performing a constant balancing act of sign-ups and cancellations, as the costs can add up rapidly for services like streaming.

A large reason I got the [E]chelon was because of your app and I have put thousands of miles on the bike since 2021.

The luxury competition offers a Marylebone Hamper from Fortnum & Mason, packed with gourmet treats including Piccadilly Piccalilli, Smoked Cheese Straws, and delicious biscuits.

Mobile network data traffic is forecasted to more than double through 2030, highlighting the continuous demand and growth for mobile connectivity across the globe.

The new maximum quantity billing scheme from Atlassian offers customers a predictable and simpler billing process, though it comes with potential pitfalls for those adding or removing seats.

We like to call ourselves, 'The Website for Real Photographers.' Our goal for 2025 is to reach a minimum of 2,000 subscribers, enhancing our community.

LastPass' history of data breaches raises concerns for its reliability as a password manager in 2025, making it less recommendable despite its potential features.