Digital products and platforms rate high the among the new business opportunities and revenues publishers plan to give priority to this year, according to a WAN-Ifra report.
The conclusion comes in the annual Business Report, published in the January/February edition of the 'WAN-IFra Magazine', which examines how the business climate has developed over the past year and what is in store for 2012.
The report offers a special opportunity to kick-start new initiatives on a number of fronts, particularly on the advertising side, where ZenithOptimedia forecasts a slight increase in global ad spend.
“This acceleration in global ad expenditure in 2012 is the result of the ‘quadrennial effect’ and Japan’s recovery from the effects of the earthquake in March. Every four years these events – the Summer Olympics, the European Football Championship and the US Presidential and other elections – provide a reliable boost to the global ad market. Without this extra stimulus, ad expenditure would grow 3.1 percent (in 2012), slightly less than 2011," it says.
An annual 'Decision-Makers’ Guide' also offers advice on critical issues such as paid content, tablet publishing, reader engagement, pricing, and production savings.
The magazine is available in print and e-paper editions, and is distributed to employees of member media companies.