Simon Owens
@simonowens.bsky.social
Media industry journalist who runs a newsletter and podcast. You can reach me at simonowens@gmail.com
I’ve always thought it was insane that so many news outlets shut down their comments sections in the 2010s. These same publishers spent years complaining that Facebook and other platforms were stealing their audiences, yet they willingly pushed their most engaged readers onto those platforms themse
💬🗞️ Why newsrooms are taking comments seriously again
Three lessons from running comments at The Times of London
newpublic.substack.com
January 22, 2026 at 11:56 PM
I’ve always thought it was insane that so many news outlets shut down their comments sections in the 2010s. These same publishers spent years complaining that Facebook and other platforms were stealing their audiences, yet they willingly pushed their most engaged readers onto those platforms themse
I don't really see any downside to a publisher blocking pretty much all AI bots other than Google. The traffic they send is pretty negligible while at the same time the value they extract is much greater. It also gives publishers leverage to negotiate specific licensing deals.
Eight in ten of world's biggest news websites now block AI training bots
Almost eight in ten of the biggest news website publishers in the UK and US are blocking AI training bots.
pressgazette.co.uk
January 22, 2026 at 11:05 PM
I don't really see any downside to a publisher blocking pretty much all AI bots other than Google. The traffic they send is pretty negligible while at the same time the value they extract is much greater. It also gives publishers leverage to negotiate specific licensing deals.
Many of the biggest video podcasts record their interviews in person rather than relying on remote tools like Riverside or Squadcast. That means breaking into the top tier of the podcast world often requires having a studio in a city where high-profile guests regularly pass through. In the U.S., tha
British Podcasters Are Moving to the US to Win Fans in a Crucial Market
Most of the top podcasts in the UK have yet to hit the same levels of popularity in the US
www.bloomberg.com
January 22, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Many of the biggest video podcasts record their interviews in person rather than relying on remote tools like Riverside or Squadcast. That means breaking into the top tier of the podcast world often requires having a studio in a city where high-profile guests regularly pass through. In the U.S., tha
This seems like a waste of time for Substack. While the platform has done a relatively good job of getting its users to upload more video and even attracted some video-first creators, most of what I've seen is unpolished and wouldn't really stand out in the highly competitive OTT environment. I get
Introducing the Substack TV app, now in beta
Taking subscriber video to the bigger screen
on.substack.com
January 22, 2026 at 9:33 PM
This seems like a waste of time for Substack. While the platform has done a relatively good job of getting its users to upload more video and even attracted some video-first creators, most of what I've seen is unpolished and wouldn't really stand out in the highly competitive OTT environment. I get
If Trump's mumbling of a few barely coherent sentences can send the stock market up or down by hundreds of billions of dollars, then that's pretty much all the proof you need that the stock market is not the economy.
January 22, 2026 at 1:11 PM
If Trump's mumbling of a few barely coherent sentences can send the stock market up or down by hundreds of billions of dollars, then that's pretty much all the proof you need that the stock market is not the economy.
I always love stories about journalists who get laid off from legacy media outlets and use that as the impetus to launch their own independent channels. In this case, a creator took his skills from working at a TV news station and used them to build a YouTube channel up to over 1 million subscribers
“Does this channel have more juice in it?” YouTuber J.J. McCullough on a “sustainable” life as a news creator
"I respect mainstream media a great deal. I think they're doing better work than a lot of new media people do. No one has really risen to dethrone them in terms of news-gathering."
www.niemanlab.org
January 21, 2026 at 11:29 PM
I always love stories about journalists who get laid off from legacy media outlets and use that as the impetus to launch their own independent channels. In this case, a creator took his skills from working at a TV news station and used them to build a YouTube channel up to over 1 million subscribers
The writer behind a personal finance newsletter explained why she sold her newsletter to Morning Brew in 2021 and decided to buy it back four years later. There are some good lessons in here for any creator who's looking to sell to a larger media entity -- at the very least, you should try to retain
Money with Katie (Katie's Version)
Why I sold—then bought back—my business.
moneywithkatie.substack.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:45 PM
The writer behind a personal finance newsletter explained why she sold her newsletter to Morning Brew in 2021 and decided to buy it back four years later. There are some good lessons in here for any creator who's looking to sell to a larger media entity -- at the very least, you should try to retain
Newsletters like Morning Brew and the Hustle had a lot of early success growing their subscribers bases by leveraging referral programs, but these tactics stopped being very effective once lots of other newsletters began to adopt them.
The pickleball newsletter the Dink basically reinvented the re
The pickleball newsletter the Dink basically reinvented the re
The Strategy That 2x'd The Dink's Daily Subscriber Rate - Growth In Reverse
Thomas Shields launched The Dink, a pickleball newsletter, in late 2020.
growthinreverse.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Newsletters like Morning Brew and the Hustle had a lot of early success growing their subscribers bases by leveraging referral programs, but these tactics stopped being very effective once lots of other newsletters began to adopt them.
The pickleball newsletter the Dink basically reinvented the re
The pickleball newsletter the Dink basically reinvented the re
If there's anything we've learned over the past year, it's that investors will use any excuse to make the line go up. The only thing that will make it go down is if the economy actually crashes and investors have to start liquidating their holdings.
I understand the 'market' is irrational, but my lord: yesterday, Dow tanks on Trump talking about tariffs and trade war and Greenland while today, Dow picks up steam after Trump says he won't use force.
January 21, 2026 at 3:37 PM
If there's anything we've learned over the past year, it's that investors will use any excuse to make the line go up. The only thing that will make it go down is if the economy actually crashes and investors have to start liquidating their holdings.
Even though YouTube absolutely dominates on television screens, it's been hindered by the fact that most media buying agencies categorize it as "online advertising," which is allocated to a different budget from TV ad spend. But now agencies are increasingly recategorizing YouTube as "connected TV,
The line between TV ads and YouTube ads is getting very blurry
New research suggests advertisers and agencies are shifting YouTube into their TV budgets and out of "online video" and "social" slots.
www.businessinsider.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Even though YouTube absolutely dominates on television screens, it's been hindered by the fact that most media buying agencies categorize it as "online advertising," which is allocated to a different budget from TV ad spend. But now agencies are increasingly recategorizing YouTube as "connected TV,
It's interesting that the NYT decided to launch this as a separate app. That's always a risky endeavor because the product has to stand mostly only the own without the benefit of the larger bundle. That being said, the NYT has tremendous marketing reach across its main app, newsletters, and social m
The New York Times Is Launching Its First Two-Player Word Game: Crossplay
The game will be familiar to Scrabble or Words with Friends players, but the Times is adding a few twists of its own.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
January 21, 2026 at 2:33 PM
It's interesting that the NYT decided to launch this as a separate app. That's always a risky endeavor because the product has to stand mostly only the own without the benefit of the larger bundle. That being said, the NYT has tremendous marketing reach across its main app, newsletters, and social m
I feel like MediasTouch is an undercovered media story. It is absolutely dominating on YouTube and social platforms. People have lamented that liberals don’t have their own version of Fox News, but this company is actually killing it at reaching young audiences.
January 21, 2026 at 12:51 PM
I feel like MediasTouch is an undercovered media story. It is absolutely dominating on YouTube and social platforms. People have lamented that liberals don’t have their own version of Fox News, but this company is actually killing it at reaching young audiences.
Anyone skeptical that Netflix will embrace theatrical releases should remember the company spent years stating matter-of-factly that it would never monetize with ads. The company rose up through the ranks by zigging where every other Hollywood studio zagged, but now that it’s arguably conquered Tins
Movie Theaters Want a Ted Sarandos Blood Oath
Regal Cinemas’ Eduardo Acuna goes public with his pitch for Netflix to sign a 10-year binding pledge with the Trump D.O.J., ensuring Ted Sarandos won’t go back on his recent promise to give Warner Bro...
puck.news
January 21, 2026 at 1:25 AM
Anyone skeptical that Netflix will embrace theatrical releases should remember the company spent years stating matter-of-factly that it would never monetize with ads. The company rose up through the ranks by zigging where every other Hollywood studio zagged, but now that it’s arguably conquered Tins
I think it's pretty debatable whether prediction markets have any actual news value. What is certain is that some of the largest media outlets in the world are working to convert some portion of their audiences into gambling addicts. Obviously, this has been going on for years in the sports media wo
America Is Slow-Walking Into a Polymarket Disaster
Why is the media obsessed with prediction markets?
www.theatlantic.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:32 PM
I think it's pretty debatable whether prediction markets have any actual news value. What is certain is that some of the largest media outlets in the world are working to convert some portion of their audiences into gambling addicts. Obviously, this has been going on for years in the sports media wo
Over the past year, much of the coverage around YouTube has framed it as a direct competitor to traditional Hollywood. I’ve never quite understood that framing, since studios could just as easily leverage YouTube’s enormous reach as part of their own distribution and monetization strategies.
BBC to show programmes on YouTube in landmark deal
British public sector broadcaster will make unique shows for the platform and generate revenue from ads overseas
www.ft.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:54 PM
Over the past year, much of the coverage around YouTube has framed it as a direct competitor to traditional Hollywood. I’ve never quite understood that framing, since studios could just as easily leverage YouTube’s enormous reach as part of their own distribution and monetization strategies.
It used to be that if you wanted to become a showrunner or film director, you needed to start at the bottom of the totem pole in Hollywood and gradually work your way up. Now the best way is to simply launch a YouTube channel and gradually improve your production values as your following grows.
Hit YouTuber Alan Chikin Chow Sets Scripted K-Pop Series At Netflix
Chow, who created YouTube series Alan’s Universe, whose channel has over 99M subscribers, is behind a new scripted series set in the world of K-Pop.
deadline.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:25 PM
It used to be that if you wanted to become a showrunner or film director, you needed to start at the bottom of the totem pole in Hollywood and gradually work your way up. Now the best way is to simply launch a YouTube channel and gradually improve your production values as your following grows.
Wow, Beehiiv is generating $3 million a month through its advertising network -- it's unclear if that's the total revenue or just its 20% cut it takes from the participating newsletters -- which is quite impressive. It was smart to lean into advertising as a key differentiator from Substack, which s
Substack challenger beehiiv expects revenue to nearly double on newsletter boom
Beehiiv expects to nearly double annual revenue to $50 million this year as the newsletter startup challenges larger rival Substack for a share of the booming creator economy, its CEO and co-founder T...
www.reuters.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Wow, Beehiiv is generating $3 million a month through its advertising network -- it's unclear if that's the total revenue or just its 20% cut it takes from the participating newsletters -- which is quite impressive. It was smart to lean into advertising as a key differentiator from Substack, which s
The fact that CNN's 2026 revenue will be about the same as its 2023 revenue is a good sign that Mark Thompson has at least stabilized the business while transitioning it from a TV-first company to a digital one. The real question is whether he can start growing it again; thus far, he's been given a
CNN’s Financial Projections Revealed: News Giant to Hit $1.8 Billion in 2026 Revenue
Warner Bros. Discovery is revealing financial details in connection with its planned spinout of Discovery Global.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:38 PM
The fact that CNN's 2026 revenue will be about the same as its 2023 revenue is a good sign that Mark Thompson has at least stabilized the business while transitioning it from a TV-first company to a digital one. The real question is whether he can start growing it again; thus far, he's been given a
I have to admit that Threads has done a fairly good job of taking a Tiktok-like recommendation algorithm and applying it to text-heavy content. It's not great at aggregating news -- for that you'd probably want to turn to an app like Bluesky -- but it's fairly decent at figuring out your interests,
Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, new data shows | TechCrunch
Threads’ daily mobile usage has quietly surpassed X as Meta leans on cross-promotion, creator tools and fast feature rollouts — even as X faces fresh controversies
techcrunch.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:16 PM
I have to admit that Threads has done a fairly good job of taking a Tiktok-like recommendation algorithm and applying it to text-heavy content. It's not great at aggregating news -- for that you'd probably want to turn to an app like Bluesky -- but it's fairly decent at figuring out your interests,
This will be an interesting experiment to watch. Unlike a lot of successful subscription publishers, Pitchfork doesn't publish a lot of exclusive, reported content, but it does aggregate an audience of passionate music nerds who probably like to discuss songs and bring attention to underrated gems.
Exclusive: Pitchfork lets readers rate albums and comment — for a price
Subscribers can access its archive of 30,000+ album reviews.
www.axios.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:09 PM
This will be an interesting experiment to watch. Unlike a lot of successful subscription publishers, Pitchfork doesn't publish a lot of exclusive, reported content, but it does aggregate an audience of passionate music nerds who probably like to discuss songs and bring attention to underrated gems.
There is no engagement on Bluesky and that's entirely because the leadership at Bluesky keep making shitty decisions.
A tale of three apps. Identical post sent at the same time:
Twitter: 136,000 likes, 20,000 shares
Threads: 46,000 likes, 4,000 ahares
Bluesky: 149 likes, 45 shares
To be clear, I have 60k followers on Twitter, 15k on Bluesky, but only 7k on Threads.
I love Bluesky, but this isn't sustainable.
Twitter: 136,000 likes, 20,000 shares
Threads: 46,000 likes, 4,000 ahares
Bluesky: 149 likes, 45 shares
To be clear, I have 60k followers on Twitter, 15k on Bluesky, but only 7k on Threads.
I love Bluesky, but this isn't sustainable.
January 19, 2026 at 10:24 PM
There is no engagement on Bluesky and that's entirely because the leadership at Bluesky keep making shitty decisions.
When Shane Greer took over the magazine Campaigns & Elections in 2011, it was in a sorry state.
Flash forward 15 years, and it's now growing into a B2B media empire.
youtu.be/fgmblQHIfGQ?...
Flash forward 15 years, and it's now growing into a B2B media empire.
youtu.be/fgmblQHIfGQ?...
How a 45-year-old magazine is building a B2B media empire
YouTube video by Simon Owens
youtu.be
January 19, 2026 at 6:17 PM
When Shane Greer took over the magazine Campaigns & Elections in 2011, it was in a sorry state.
Flash forward 15 years, and it's now growing into a B2B media empire.
youtu.be/fgmblQHIfGQ?...
Flash forward 15 years, and it's now growing into a B2B media empire.
youtu.be/fgmblQHIfGQ?...
The NASDAQ is still up over the past month. Investors will basically shrug off everything Trump does right up until the moment the economy goes into a tailspin.
January 19, 2026 at 5:26 PM
The NASDAQ is still up over the past month. Investors will basically shrug off everything Trump does right up until the moment the economy goes into a tailspin.
Reposted by Simon Owens
The president is going to war with Europe as his secret police kidnaps citizens in Minnesota. How long will it last and how many will die? You can get in on the action with our partners at DoploMarket. Up next Kristi Noem is here to break down the odds. You’re watching the news
January 19, 2026 at 2:17 PM
The president is going to war with Europe as his secret police kidnaps citizens in Minnesota. How long will it last and how many will die? You can get in on the action with our partners at DoploMarket. Up next Kristi Noem is here to break down the odds. You’re watching the news