Technological domination within the publishing industry
Publishing houses, especially those with a clear focus on daily newspapers, have come under massive pressure in recent years: In relation to the print business, sales on the reader market are steadily declining, and for a few years now, sales in the advertising business have also been stagnating. At the same time, the technology basis is becoming a problem: legacy ERP systems for the administration and billing of subscription customers can only be operated with a high expenditure of resources, while they hardly allow for digital business models. At the same time, the old editorial systems designed for the print business are not capable of publishing journalistic content quickly and flexibly on digital channels. Covid-19 massively exacerbates the situation and quickly threatens their existence.
On the one hand, new technologies can significantly shrink the cost base quickly and permanently. At the same time, thanks to higher modularity, they offer the necessary flexibility for modern publishing on online and offline channels. Furthermore, new business models can be tested and new ways of monetising content can be explored. To exploit the potential, action must be taken quickly, consistently and with the necessary IT and transformation know-how.