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A BuzzFeed IPO could threaten the innovation that helped it grow

June 22nd, 2017|

DIGIDAY, June 22, 2017. Often, founders’ talents aren’t well-suited to a company when it goes from being a rapidly growing startup to a steadier and more mature business, said longtime media adviser Peter Kreisky of the Kreisky Media Consultancy. “A lot hang on too long,” he said. “That’s where a lot get into trouble because they’re still trying to run the company as if it were a go-go startup.” At its worst, frenetic early-stage growth pace can lead to cultural problems that may be tolerated in a private company but not a public one, as evidenced by Uber’s recent meltdown.

Rodale considering sale of the company

June 21st, 2017|

THE MORNING CALL, June 21, 2017 The company today claims to engage more than 100 million customers worldwide through targeted products and services across all channels, including magazines, books, online, mobile, e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, social, video and events. But the company's transition to digital amid declines in print advertising revenue has been tumultuous. The company was struggling to discover the "holy grail" of getting readers to pay for digital content, especially with more media competing for their attention, Rodale said in October. Peter Kreisky, of Kreisky Media Consultancy in New York, said Rodale and other media giants have been competing in an arena that has also included "unfamiliar competitors" from the digital era. "Unless Rodale can find access to capital, they're going to have a difficult time staying afloat," Kreisky said.

How Time Inc. can survive as an independent company

April 28th, 2017|

DIGIDAY. April 28, 2017. “The future belongs to brands that are indispensable to the audiences who will pay for, and advertisers will pony up to be a part of,” said Peter Kreisky, a media consultant and onetime advisor to former Time Inc. CEO Jack Griffin. “The New Yorker is indispensable. Is Time magazine indispensable? Time Inc. was a leader because of its scale. In this multimedia universe it is no longer the scale leader, so it has to figure out how to be the leader by virtue of other factors.” Kreisky said Time Inc. would do well to look at Axel Springer as a model...“Axel Springer is still focused on its journalistic mission but with a very different portfolio than it had in the past,” Kreisky said. “It was a very courageous move to make, and it seems to be paying off.”

Inside Time Inc.’s bumpy yearlong sales overhaul

March 20th, 2017|

DIGIDAY, MARCH 20, 2017. Broadly, the advantage for a traditional publisher like Time Inc. of selling by category is that it moves away from being defined by its print legacy, said Peter Kreisky, a publishing consultant who years ago served as an adviser at Time Inc. to its former CEO Jack Griffin. “The disadvantage is that when the people on the front lines have a different set of competitors and unfamiliar value proposition, that moves away from the distinctiveness of the brand to a more amorphous value proposition based on metrics, which isn’t necessarily where they have an overwhelming advantage,” he said.

Time Can Look to Axel Springer for Road Map

March 9th, 2017|

THESTREET.COM. March 9, 2017 …Toward that end, it's worth appreciating the transition that another legacy print publisher, Berlin-based Axel Springer when it sold a slew of regional newspapers and women's magazines. Peter Kreisky, a New York media consultant and former Time Inc. executive, points out that Axel Springer, once Europe's largest newspaper publisher, began selling a slew of its print publications in 2013 to raise money to buy digital pure plays, websites and apps…"Axel Springer is still focused on its journalistic mission but with a very different portfolio than it had in the past," Kreisky said in a phone interview in New York. "It was a very courageous move to make, and it seems to be paying off." "Time Inc. is a lot more today than just its print titles," Kreisky added. "But at the same time, it is joined at the hip with the fate of print."

Tronc reportedly buying US Weekly despite falling celeb magazine sales

March 9th, 2017|

NPR MARKETPLACE. March 8, 2017. Tronc's interest is likely based on its undertapped digital potential, says Peter Kreisky, a well-known media consultant. However, there could be a branding problem. "'US Weekly' doesn't really sound like a digital brand" when you want your celebrity news now, this instant!

Time Inc. is for sale, but who is willing to pay up?

March 1st, 2017|

CRAINS NY BUSINESS. March 1, 2017. "They're still locked into the fate of print," said Peter Kreisky, a digital publishing strategist who was a Time Inc. adviser. "Despite the fact that they've made a number of very dramatic changes, it isn't clear they've turned the corner." He added that unlike The New York Times, which has a fast-growing digital subscription business, Time Inc. is still largely dependent on advertising revenue, and its circulation revenue is dropping.

Industry Pressures Lead to Speculation on Magazine M&A

February 18th, 2017|

THE STREET.COM February 18, 2017. "What we're seeing in real time is the massive consolidation of the magazine industry," said Peter Kreisky, founder of Kreisky Media Consultancy. This long-term trend has accelerated due to the "economics of the industry," as print continues to lose advertising share to digital offerings dominated by Facebook (FB) and Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google, Kreisky continued. "They need to change the cost structure of these brands," he said, referring to publishers. By consolidating, magazine owners also can reduce the cost of business to "publish vibrant high-quality titles," as well as leverage each other's technology to better adapt to the digital age, Kreisky explained. It's important for them to find a home that will help them continue to produce superb content, he said. Another solution for the companies is to diversify with additional businesses, such as extending further into digital media, hosting consumer events or shows, creating apps, offering experiences and getting into e-commerce, according to both Kreisky and Phillips.

Hearst Content Chief Joanna Coles Pushes Snapchat and TV

January 30th, 2017|

WALL STREET JOURNAL. Jan 30, 2017 “She saw how important Snapchat was becoming for her target audience and wanted to be in the driver’s seat and not the caboose,” says Peter Kreisky, a media-industry consultant.

Media Stocks Brace for Advertising Cuts, Merger Delays Under Trump

November 9th, 2016|

TheStreet: November 9, 2016. Potentially more sweeping for media companies is the notion that spending on advertising for television and print could slide if uncertainties about Trump's fiscal and trade policy destabilize the U.S. economy. "There will be a major reassessment of marketing commitments," said Peter Kreisky, a longtime consultant to media companies in New York. "There will be a great hesitancy on the part of advertisers to commit to major expenditures until they see what happens to the economy. If we head straight into a recession, clearly that will have a big impact on advertisers."