Press Gazette is proud to announce the shortlist for the Future of Media Awards 2024.
These awards recognise excellence in digital news media across the UK and worldwide.
Update: Find out the winners of the Future of Media Awards 2024 here
Categories include website and app of the year, digital storytelling, reader revenue strategy, advertising technology, newsletters and podcasts.
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The winners will be revealed at a ceremony on Thursday 12 September at London’s Hilton Bankside, with a new seated format including a three-course meal and entertainment.
The ceremony will follow the Future of Media Technology Conference being held in the same venue.
Unlike the British Journalism Awards (for which entries are now open), the Future of Media Awards recognise journalism from around the world and look at the best digital products in news media, not just the journalism. The judges were looking for technical excellence, evidence of audience and commercial success and editorial brilliance.
Press Gazette editor-in-chief and chairman of judges Dominic Ponsford said: “These awards are special because they are free to enter and are judged by an unrivalled panel of industry experts. Over the last three weeks the 33 judges have worked tirelessly to ensure the entries were properly scrutinised.
“Over two days of in-person discussions, the judges kicked the tyres of all the entries and debated their merits in order to ensure we arrived at fair shortlists.
“The finalists provide a snapshot of publishers who are lighting the way to a sustainable future for quality journalism in the digital age.”
Tickets for the conference and awards together cost £495+VAT or individual awards tickets cost £200+VAT. Finalists will be contacted with a discount offer.
Future of Media Awards 2024 shortlist
Advertising Technology, sponsored by Content Ignite
Reach – Mantis: “Mantis’ suite of AI-powered solutions is designed to empower all publishers to create resilient revenue streams that can withstand the volatility of digital media trends and ensure a sustainable future for quality journalism. Central to Mantis is the Recommender system, a contextual tool to enhance user engagement and create commercial opportunities by intelligently surfacing other recommended and relevant content. Mantis Recommender is a publisher-first solution that prioritises keeping users within the publisher’s ecosystem. It drives a CTR of around 10%, boosting engagement and increasing page views for journalism. As well as unlocking approximately 30% more brand-safe inventory for Reach, Mantis has boosted advertising performance, increasing CTRs by 26.5% on average across all industry sectors compared to open marketplace and audience targeting strategies.”
The Telegraph – Clarity: “A slick new solution, reimagined to set the standard for commercial content reporting, providing clients, plus agency planners and buyers with: absolute campaign transparency when it has never been more vital, a time-saving tool, when resources have never been thinner, and comprehensive campaign effectiveness insights, available 24/7 through an intuitive self-serve web app.”
The Telegraph – Compass: “A new revenue stream and research agency for the industry. Its USP: access to the same first-party insights, expertise and tools used by the newsroom. Its mission: to help businesses grow by identifying new opportunities and competitive advantage. Its offering: researched actionable insights, quantified problem solving and ready to publish thought leadership.”
App of the Year, sponsored by Purple
Digital Storytelling (National), sponsored by SWNS
EBU Investigative Journalism Network: Russification in Occupied Ukraine
Financial Times: How AI is decoding the animal kingdom
Financial Times: How China is tearing down Islam
The National: The war on education
Sky News: Secrets of the Tunnels: Al-Shifa
The Times: Every scary thing Meta knows about me — and you
Digital Storytelling (Specialist/Regional), sponsored by SWNS
Carbon Brief: Inside Habitable
The Courier and Press and Journal data journalism team: Tracking the High Street
The Herald: The New Highland Clearances
JRNY Travel Magazine: Digital narratives
Reach data unit: Automated coverage of the cost of living crisis
Live Journalism, sponsored by Tickaroo
The Athletic: Live blogs
Bloomberg: Markets Today Live Blog
The Courier: Live coverage of the Aberfeldy shooting
Financial Times: Yevgeny Prigozhin leads Wagner march on Moscow
Sky News: Money blog
The Telegraph: News live blogs
Newsletter (National/International), sponsored by Stibo DX
The Conversation UK: Something Good
The Economist: The War Room
Financial Times: Inside Politics
Politico: London Playbook
The Spectator: Evening Blend
Tortoise: Daily Sensemaker
Which?: Weekly Scoop
Newsletter (Specialist/Regional), sponsored by Stibo DX
Cheapskate London: Cheapskate London
KentOnline: The Briefing
Positive News: The Positive Newsletter
Racing Post: The Front Runner
Tes: Tes Daily
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: Uncovered
WalesOnline: Inside Welsh Rugby
Online Video (National), sponsored by EX.CO
Channel 4/Postcard Productions: The Secret World of Fight Clubs
The Economist: Hoax school shootings: inside America’s epidemic
Express: Investigating Albania’s drug farm influencers
Financial Times: Eksom: how corruption and crime turned the lights off in South Africa
Interesting Engineering: Interesting Engineering
Sky News: Sky News Digital Team
The Telegraph: Kidnappings and ghost towns on China’s Belt and Road: 10 years of Xi Jinping’s masterplan
The Times: Investigations
Online Video (Specialist/Regional), sponsored by EX.CO
The National: On patrol with UN peacekeepers on the Lebanon-Israel border
New Lines Magazine: Catfishing a Killer: How A Fake Account Exposed One of Syria’s Worst Massacres
The Yorkshire Post/Nova Studios: Meet The Makers
Podcast (National), sponsored by Pugpig
Financial Times: Hot Money
Politico: Westminster Insider
Samizdat Audio, iHeart Podcasts and Kaleidoscope: Afghan Star
Sky News: Patient 11
The Times and The Sunday Times: The Story
Tortoise Media: The Slow Newscast
Wondery: The Competition
Podcast (Specialist/Regional), sponsored by Pugpig
Radio Kingston: Abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast
BFBS Radio: Sitrep
Bristol Cable: Cable Audio
Country of Dust: Country of Dust
Premier Christianity: Soul Survivors
The Repair Lab: Crosswinds
Reader Revenue Strategy, sponsored by Mirabel Technologies
Bristol Cable – 23/24 membership drive: Its “biggest membership drive yet with an aim of increasing membership revenue by 50% (£58,000) within 12 months… It has so far raised annual membership revenue by around £35,000 by gaining 342 new members, 12 Patrons, and securing almost 500 contribution increases from existing members.”
The Economist – Economist Podcasts+: “With its podcast audience doubling in the past three years, audio has proven to be an important way to bring Economist journalism to new and diverse audiences. The subscription service was born out of its belief that its podcasts should follow the same business model used across its digital and print editions. EP+ allows it to provide high-quality journalism to its worldwide subscribers at a fair price.”
Financial Times – Consumer Revenue Group: “Amidst challenges such as price sensitivity, AI advancements, and intense competition, the FT’s strategies have not only thrived but set new standards in reader engagement and revenue generation.”
Kyiv Independent – memberships and donations: “2023-2024 strategy that allowed it to grow, increase reader revenue by more than 30% in one year, and improve its relationship with its readers.”
VK Media – Article Horn: “Imagine an ingenious predictive alert system that serves as a compass, guiding the VK team through the wavy waters of Google traffic to optimise content and revenue strategy. The Article Horn, with its analytical prowess, enabled VK to tactically switch gears between boosting advertising revenue and improving paywall conversions.”
Website of the Year (Regional/Local), sponsored by Ancoris
Website of the Year (Specialist/B2B), sponsored by Ancoris
Website of the Year (National/International), sponsored by Ancoris
Thank you to the 2024 Future of Media Awards judges
The Future of Media Awards judges for 2024 are as follows:
- James Rosewell – Co-founder of Movement for an Open Web and 51 Degrees
- Dominic Young – CEO of Axate
- Chris Stone – New Statesman head of audio
- Lovejit Dhaliwal – podcast host and producer
- Robert Marr – CEO of Metropolis Group
- Alan Hunter – Co-founder of HBM Advisory
- Alan Renwick – Strategy director at National World plc.
- Caroline Fenner – Former commercial director of Buzzfeed and head of commercial at Future plc.
- Charlotte Tobitt – Press Gazette UK editor
- Chris Waiting – Chief executive of The Conversation UK
- Chris Walker – Managing director of Be The Best communications
- Claire Wilde – Data producer at Channel 4 News
- Glyn Mottershead – Senior lecturer in data journalism at City University
- Ian Carter – Chief operating officer Iliffe Media
- James Morris – Pathway director of the MA, Interactive Journalism at City University
- Jim Edwards – Former editor in chief for news at Business Insider
- Luba Kassova – Co-founder and director of the international audience strategy consultancy AKAS
- Madhav Chinnappa – Senior executive consultant who has worked at the intersection of news, technology, AI and sustainability globally for more than two decades
- Martin Ashplant – CEO of ERP Today
- Martin Winter – Director of SWNS Media Group
- Paul Hood – Digital Development Director at The Sun
- Sandy Warr – Podcasting lecturer
- Sarah Ebner Senior – Head of newsletters at the FT
- Sarah Marshall – Vice president audience strategy for Conde Nast
- Serena Kutchinsky – Assistant editor for premium content at Sky News
- Simon Regan Edwards – Product director at DMG Media
- Gavin Allen – Digital journalism lecturer at Cardiff University, formerly associate editor Daily Mirror
- Alison Phillips – Former editor in chief of the Mirror
- Adam Tinworth – Consultant and trainer in audience engagement, including SEO, social media and content strategy.
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