Editor of Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, Alison Phillips talks to The Media Show about which stories are vital to keep a news brand successful and the business impact of Covid-19.
Amol Rajan, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show interviewed Alison Phillips on his show this week.
The two touched on how content gets shared amongst the many brands that sit within Reach, with Phillips highlighting the importance of each brand’s individuality while at the same time acknowledging that when it comes to stories that can be accessed anywhere, there is no need to be protective over content.
Despite the importance of campaigning and fighting for the values of each brand, Phillips made it clear that breaking stories is still vitally important. “If you’re not breaking stories, you’re not operating because there is someone else out there doing what you’re not”.
During the interview when asked about the performance of Reach given the backdrop of decline and the impact of Covid-19, Phillips celebrated the fact that digital numbers are the highest they have ever been. Even print has returned to expected levels following the drop-off at the beginning of lockdown. Advertising revenue too has seen a boost, with digital levels now higher than before the pandemic.
Like many news brands, Daily Mirror is focussing on turning readers into subscribers and so far, it has had huge success. The target for 2020 was two million subscribers and currently it is at five million!
As subscriptions boom, Alison makes it clear that she doesn’t foresee any plans to require readers to pay for digital content.
