With the increase of free news content, newspaper publishers have seen a decrease in paid subscriptions and advertising revenue in recent years.
At the same time, the rise in popularity of personalised digital content means readers are now demanding the same kind of customisation from their news sources. Organisations everywhere face the task of migrating their remaining paid subscribers to dedicated digital platforms if they want to secure and grow subscription revenue.
Samsung Knox for Publishers is paving the way for news media outlets to go digital, with customisable technology, configuration options and more. The landscape is ripe for new digital news subscription products.
The need to adapt the subscription model
There is a unique opportunity to reinvent the paid subscription model — creating a bridge between the physical and digital world – whilst increasing value for both consumers and publishers. The real bonus? This all happens while moving revenue dependency away from advertisements.
Samsung has partnered with one of Asia’s largest publishers to change the way they deliver news to readers. This strategy involves the publisher providing a specific subscription model, formulated to include a brand-new tablet at minimal extra cost. These tablets are customised to carry the publisher’s branding, and up-to-date news apps and content. The device also becomes a vehicle for specialised news experiences and creates a funnel for long-term subscribers.
But there is an inherent challenge. How can IT administrators efficiently customise and manage so many devices? Especially when they need to maintain their value but avoid creating extra stress for their team. And how can publishers obtain enhanced returns while essentially “giving away” these tablets?
Creating a tablet newspaper with Knox Configure
Utilising Samsung’s cloud-based, over-the-air bulk configuration tool, publishers can create a new, digital-based newspaper experience. This entails organising content on the device, including applications and pre-loaded files.
Publishers can also manage the overall look-and-feel by applying their custom designs, from the boot-up logo to background image. And all of this capability is housed in a completely functional, pre-configured tablet device ready to read as soon as consumers open the box.
How Samsung Knox for publishers works
IT admins can log-in to https://www.samsungknox.com/en and access the Knox Configure web console to remotely configure fleets of devices at any time, seamlessly saving valuable time and resources.
Admins then create profiles containing the specific device settings, apps or content they want to deploy in bulk.
To create a more tailored feeling, and gain greater brand reach, admins can also customise the boot-up logo or background image here.
Once a device is brought out of the box, the profiles will automatically populate it via Wi-Fi or carrier network. This makes the setup process seamless for the consumer too.
Increased value and assessing the long-term
Newspaper publishers have partnered with their local Samsung team to make this new, disruptive business model possible. As leaders in digital technology and news delivery, these partnerships yield volume discounts and joint marketing possibilities.
Partnering with Samsung means gaining the ability to provide both the cutting-edge tablets and configuration tools. As a result, publishers can successfully offer Galaxy tablets with their new subscription model and experience longer lock-in with consumers.
The tablet newspaper streamlines readers’ transitions to a digital platform, so publishers inherently gain increased access to user-consented reader data. The time and resources saved by utilising Knox Configure can be funneled into accumulating this data and these insights, as well as performance analytics. This enables publishers to offer more relevant content to the reader.
Readers can access seamless, personalised content from anywhere, at any time without lag — ideal in the era of on-the-go consumption. Better access to richer, more interactive content can create an enhanced reading experience – all while benefiting consumers using their new Samsung tablet. Add longer term, more profitable subscriptions bundled with a device to this and you have the key drivers behind publishers going digital.
Taking the tablet newspaper public
Fifty thousand new online subscribers. That’s the return seen by one of Asia’s largest news providers after implementing this model. As they progress through their digital transformation journey, they’ve acknowledged the critical role the tablet newspaper has played in increasing their paid subscription numbers since its launch.
With the progress they’ve experienced to date, the publisher plans to expand this subscription model to other media under its brand — further bridging the gap between print and digital.
Every print publisher is different, with unique business needs and challenges during their digitisation process. By working together with Samsung, you can identify a solution that not only fits your content and readership, but also streamlines efforts for IT admins whilst securing ongoing subscription revenue.
Ready to grow your subscriber base by launching a customised news-reading experience?
Learn more about using Samsung Knox for Publishers here.
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