网络新媒体生存状态调查
JP Mangalindan | 2013-05-16 09:59
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从Gawker到Buzzfeed，诸多新媒体公司像雨后春笋般地涌现出来，满足每个利基市场的需求。事实上目前有哪些公司正在盈利呢？我们今天就来盘点一下包括《赫芬顿邮报》在内的一批新锐媒体真实的生存状态。它们的商业模式是什么？盈利状况如何？
互联网已催生出一些著名的数字出版商，他们为几乎每个人的喜好提供服务——从简单明了的新闻到有负罪感的乐趣。有多少获得普利策奖、关注伤残退伍军人的系列报道（包括10篇系列文章），就会有多少《本周有关猫的10张最有趣的GIF图像》这样空洞的文章。这些公司的盈利情况怎么样呢？有些数字出版商，比如The Awl，从一开始就一直在盈利，而诸如Vox Media等其他公司则预计自己很快就会盈利。以下只是几家新媒体公司的简介，以及他们目前的经营状况。 | The web has given rise to a number of notable digital publishers serving almost everyone's tastes, from straightforward news to guilty pleasures. For every Pulitzer-winning 10-part series on wounded war veterans, there are just as many frothy posts like the "10 funniest cat GIFs of the week." What about earnings? Some like The Awl have been profitable from the outset; others like Vox Media predict they'll be in the black soon. Here's a snapshot of just several new media businesses and how they're doing. |
《赫芬顿邮报》联合创始人阿里安娜•赫芬顿。图片来源：Twitter。
赫芬顿邮报 纽约 成立年份：2005年 读者人数：全球7,310万人 雇员人数：没有数据（估计最高达500人） 掌门人：希腊作家、专栏作家和影响力人物阿里安娜•赫芬顿 成名原因： 难道这个网站还有不出名的地方吗？八年来，《赫芬顿邮报》已成为美国最受欢迎的新闻网站之一。它涉及的内容广泛，从重要新闻和名人评论到来自外部网站的新闻报道聚合，以及获奖的新闻报道，几乎无所不有。2012年，《赫芬顿邮报》因旗下高级军事记者大卫•伍德就退伍军人及其家庭生活撰写的题为《战场之外》（Beyond the Battlefield）的一篇系列报道（包括10篇系列文章），获得了普利策国内报道奖。 背景：这家网站由赫芬顿、企业家肯尼思•莱勒、已故评论家安德鲁•布雷特巴特和新闻聚合网站Buzzfeed创始人乔纳•佩雷蒂联合创办，目的是创建一个新闻、评论以及第三方精选文章的发布中心。它就像新闻聚合网站Drudge Report一样，但更偏向于主流媒体。 资助者：初始投资资金100万美元，据报道后来又获得2,000万美元资金，后来在2011年由AOL以3.15亿美元收购。 商业模式：主要由数字广告构成，但还包括内容同步发售及电子商务。 营收情况：没有数据，但这家网站曾计划将营收从2010年的3,000万美元增长两倍至去年的1亿美元。 盈利情况：2010年曾经短暂实现盈利，但自被收购以来一直没有盈利。 未来动向：根据《赫芬顿邮报》一位发言人称，它将积极进行国际扩张，还将在整个网站发布更多的视频。 | The Huffington Post New York Founded: 2005 Readers: 73.1 million worldwide Employees: Not available. (Estimated: Up to 500.) Who runs it: Greek author, columnist, and influencer Arianna Huffington What it's known for: What isn't it known for? In eight years, HuffPost has become one of the most popular news websites in the U.S., with a wide array of content, from hard news and celebrity commentary to aggregated stories from outside outlets and award-winning reportage. In 2012, it was awarded a Pulitzer in National Reporting for a 10-part series on war vets by senior military correspondent David Wood called "Beyond the Battlefield." Backstory: Launched by Huffington, businessman Kenneth Lerer, deceased commentator Andrew Breitbart, and Jonah Peretti, creator of Buzzfeed, as a hub for news, commentary, and select third-party articles. Think Drudge Report, but more mainstream. Backers: $1 million in initial funding with an additional reported $20 million later, followed by the $315 million acquisition by AOL in 2011. Business model: Largely composed of digital advertising but also content syndication and e-commerce. Revenues: Not available, but the outlet once aimed to triple sales from $30 million in 2010 to $100 million last year. Profitable: Briefly in 2010, but not since its acquisition. What's next: Aggressive international expansion and more video across the entire site, according to a HuffPost spokesperson. |
Gawker Media 纽约 成立年份：2002年 雇员人数：150人 读者人数：全球4,000万人 掌门人：创始人兼首席执行官尼克•丹顿 成名原因：“今天的八卦就是明天的新闻”是Gawker网站喜欢遵循的宣言，而且它确实以发表明快——而且有时候令读者大声发笑——的博客文章对最新事件发表报道或加以回顾分析而成名。正如《纽约客》杂志（The New Yorker ）曾经所说的那样，Gawker依赖于“那些厌倦优雅的博客作者，他们认为自己是光脚的局外人。”从那以来，这家公司扩展了流行女性博客网站Jezebel以及面向电子科技产品的科技博客网站Gizmodo等品牌，而且一直是互联网出版业最佳的成功范例之一。 背景：丹顿在他位于纽约苏活区的公寓房中创立了Gawker，而且亲自执掌公司数年。公司目前的主要经营场所设在曼哈顿诺利塔区。 资助者：在该公司的最初几年里，都是自筹资金。 商业模式：它以品牌广告计划为主导，但目前也正在发展电子商务、销售版税以及国际收入来源的机会。 营收情况：没有数据，不过丹顿曾表示，他预期今年营收同比增长40％，还认为未来有一天公司的营收会高达1亿元。 盈利情况：是的，据第三方报告，最早可能在2006年盈利。 未来动向：它计划推出一个叫做Kinja的全新发布、讨论平台。据Gawker的一位发言人称，Kinja应该会使任何人（主编、读者或营销人员）更加容易创作内容，展开讨论，以达到“事实和质量的新水平。” | Gawker Media New York Founded: 2002 Employees: 150 Readers: 40 million worldwide Who runs it: Founder and CEO Nick Denton. What it's known for: "Today's gossip is tomorrow's news," is the mission statement the Gawker website likes to go by, and indeed the site made a name for itself with snappy -- and sometimes laugh-out-loud snarky -- blog posts riffing or reporting on the latest events. As The New Yorker once put it, Gawker relied on "elegantly jaded bloggers who considered themselves outsiders with nothing to lose." Since then, it's expanded with properties like the popular women's blog Jezebel and the gadget-oriented Gizmodo and remains one of the best examples of successful web publishing. Backstory: Denton started Gawker in his SoHo apartment, where he ran it for years. The outfit now operates largely from Manhattan's Nolita neighbhorhood. Backers: Self-funded during the company's early years. Business model: Led by brand advertising programs, but the publisher is also currently developing e-commerce, licensing, and international revenue stream opportunities. Revenues: Not available, though Denton has said he is looking to grow revenue 40% this year and thinks sales will top $100 million "someday." Profitable: Yes, according to third-party reports, possibly as early as 2006. What's next: The launch of a new publishing and discussion platform called Kinja. According to a Gawker spokesperson, Kinja should make authoring content easier for anyone (editor, reader, or marketer) and for discussion to reach "new levels of truth and quality." |
The Awl联合创始人科瑞•斯查说：“对于我们行业的从业人员而言，这是一场可怕的经济衰退……我们终于决定不再为那些不关心我们的人工作。”图片来源：乔纳森•斯奈德。
The Awl 成立年份：2009年 雇员人数：15人 读者人数：截至今年1月份，网站月均浏览人次为300万（联合创始人科瑞•斯查开玩笑说：“我们只想让聪明的人阅读我们的网站”。） 掌门人：前Gawker撰稿人斯查和亚历克斯•巴尔克 成名原因：睿智、活泼的博客文章对当天新闻、政治和娱乐中所发生的事情进行简要回顾。文章语调近乎恶声恶气，但从来都不愚蠢。 背景：斯查回忆说：“在我们这个行业的从业人员而言，这是一场相当可怕的经济衰退。”虽然他们曾在Gawker、杂志和报纸媒体工作，但斯查和巴尔克结果发现自己失业了。 “我们终于决定不再为那些不关心我们的人工作。” 资助者：由斯查和巴尔克自筹资金。 商业模式：广告。 营收情况：没有数据 盈利情况：没错，它已经盈利 未来动向：跟随专注于女性的The Hairpin等最新网站的脚步，推出一个全新的网站。斯查说：“我们拥有人才和名声，我们正在寻找一个真正睿智的品牌。”换句话说，敬请期待。 | The Awl New York Founded: 2009 Employees: 15 Readers: 3 million monthly visitors as of this past January. ("We only want smart people to read us," co-founder Choire Sicha jokes.) Who runs it: Ex-Gawker writers Sicha and Alex Balk. What it's known for: Smart, snappy blog posts recapping the day's happenings in news, politics, and entertainment. The tone borders on snarky but never crass. Backstory: "It was a rather terrible recession for people in our field," recalls Sicha. Though they'd worked at Gawker, magazines, and newspapers, Sicha and Balk found themselves unemployed. "We finally just decided to stop working for those people who didn't care about us." Backers: Self-funded by Balk and Sicha. Business model: Advertising. Revenues: Not available. Profitable: Yes. What's next: A brand-new site joining recent additions like the female-focused The Hairpin. Says Sicha: "We have the talent and the name, and we're looking for a really smart brand." In other words, stay tuned. |
Vox Media 华盛顿特区和纽约 成立年份：2003年 雇员人数：200人，700名自由撰稿人 读者人数：全球5,000万人 掌门人：吉姆•班克夫。这位前AOL高管最大的成名之处包括AOL收购科技博客网站Engadget以及创建好莱坞热门博客网站TMZ。 成名原因：Vox旗下经营着体育博客网站SB Nation，迅速增长的科技博客网站The Verge，以及最近推出的以视频游戏为重点的Polygon。在这个有些网站依赖花哨骗人的内容以及没完没了的幻灯片来提高流量的时代，班克夫表示，Vox凭借优质的在线新闻和顶级的网页设计来扭转这种趋势。 背景：VOX是由政治活动家杰罗姆•阿姆斯特朗、自由撰稿人泰勒•布莱森斯基和政治博客网站Daily Kos创始人马科斯•莫里萨斯最初作为一个体育网站创办的。 资助者：据报道，加速合伙公司（Accel Partners）、康卡斯特风投公司（Comcast Ventures）及科斯拉风投公司（Khosla Ventures）等共同投入了总计4,000万美元左右的资金。 商业模式：主要是显示广告。 营收情况：没有数据。 盈利情况：到今年年底盈利 未来动向：数字广告部门Vox Creative——旨在帮助营销人员创建有吸引力而且有效的在线广告。 班克夫半开玩笑地说：“现在谁真正喜欢网络广告呢？没人喜欢，因为网络广告太烂了。广告客户希望转向数字广告平台，但在某些情况下，广告内容配不上他们的品牌，而在某些情况下，完全没有为他们带来任何绩效。”他说，现在将高品质的在线内容与一个数字广告机构组合在一起，使得Vox具有独特的优势。 | Vox Media Washington D.C. and New York Founded: 2003 Employees: 200, with 700 freelance writers Readers: 50 million worldwide Who runs it: Jim Bankoff. The ex-AOL exec's biggest claims to fame include AOL's acquisition of the tech blog Engadget and the creation of the hit Hollywood blog TMZ. What it's known for: Vox operates the sports blog SB Nation, the rapidly growing tech site The Verge, and the recently-launched videogame-focused Polygon. In an age where some sites lean on gimmicky content and endless slideshows to bolster traffic, Bankoff says Vox bucks that trend with quality online journalism and cutting-edge web design. Backstory: Vox was originally founded by political activist Jerome Armstrong, freelance writer Tyler Bleszinski, and Daily Kos creator Markos Moulitsas as a sports site. Backers: Accel Partners, Comcast Ventures, and Khosla Ventures, among others, have reportedly chipped in $40 million or so total. Business model: Primarily display advertising. Revenues: Not available. Profitable: By the end of the year. What's next: Vox Creative, a digital ad division aimed at helping marketers create attractive and effective online ads. "Who really likes web advertising now? No one, because it sucks," Bankoff half-jokes. "Advertisers want to shift to digital, but in some cases, the content is not worthy of their brand, and in some cases it's just not performing for them." The pairing of high-quality online content and now, a digital ad agency, makes Vox unique, he says. |
Buzzfeed联合创始人兼新闻聚合网站Buzzfeed CEO乔纳•佩雷蒂。
Buzzfeed 纽约和洛杉矶 成立年份：2006年 雇员人数：没有数据 读者人数：截至2013年3月份，4,000多万人 掌门人：《赫芬顿邮报》联合创始人乔纳•佩雷蒂担任CEO。政治家校友本•史密斯担任主编。 成名原因：《让你觉得自己老了的40件事》等榜单如病毒般在互联网上传播开来。 背景：佩雷蒂创建BuzzFeed，准则是聪明的人会带着自己的资产，而不是无偿的博客文章或者无名的互联网用户，与商务社交网站LinkedIn这样的公司抢风头。他去年秋季在接受《财富》杂志采访时说：“现在这些平台都在说：‘我们怎样才能获得超越用户生成内容的优质内容？'” 资助者：SV Angel的罗恩•康威，莱勒风投公司（Lerer Ventures）、社交营销公司Buddy Media联合创始人迈克尔•拉泽罗，软银资本风投公司（Softbank Capital），以及其他投资者贡献了4,600万美元。 商业模式：原生广告，即融入到该网站其他报道之中的广告。 营收情况：没有数据，不过佩雷蒂曾透露，在2012年的大部分时间里，营收翻了两番。《华尔街日报》（The Wall Street Journal ）估计，Buzzfeed今年可产生4,000万美元的营收。 盈利情况：没有数据。 未来动向：在网络视频先驱扎•弗兰克的领导下,Buzzfeed将推出更多的原创视频。 | Buzzfeed New York and Los Angeles Founded: 2006 Employees: Not available Readers: 40 million-plus, as of March 2013 Who runs it: HuffPost co-founder Jonah Peretti as CEO, Politico alum Ben Smith as Editor-in-Chief. What it's known for: Lists that go viral like 40 Things that Will Make You Feel Old. Backstory: Peretti built BuzzFeed with the mantra that smart people will carry his property, not unpaid bloggers or unknown Internet users, matching companies like LinkedIn. "'Now these platforms are all saying, 'How can we get good content that goes beyond user-generated content?'" he told Fortune last fall. Backers: SV Angel's Ron Conway, Lerer Ventures, Buddy Media co-founder Michael Lazerow, Softbank Capital, and others contributed $46 million. Business model: Native advertising, or ads that blend in with the other stories on the site. Revenues: Not available, although Peretti has said revenues quadrupled through most of 2012.The Wall Street Journal suggested Buzzfeed could generate $40 million in sales this year. Profitable: Not available. What's next: More original videos thanks to web video pioneer Ze Frank. |
Business Insider 纽约 成立年份：2007年 雇员人数：没有数据 读者人数：2,400多万人 掌门人：前华尔街股票分析师亨利•布罗吉特 成名原因：迅捷的财经新闻分析以及第三方新闻报道的扼要重述，但还有绝妙的新闻提要以及丰富的幻灯片展示。 背景：前团购网站Gilt Groupe CEO凯文•瑞安和布罗吉特最初兜售创建一个科技博客网站的构想：这个构想后来成为Silicon Valley Insider。自此之后，这家网站已经扩展成Business Insider如今的状况。布罗吉特最近在接受《今日美国》（ USA Today）采访时说： “我没有想过‘这是我的下一幕’。我当时想，这是一个真正的机会，可以让我继续我以前一直从事的工作。” 资助者：亚马逊（Amazon）CEO杰夫•贝索斯、安德森-霍洛维茨风投公司（Andreessen Horowitz）合伙人马克•安德森以及RRE风投公司等。 商业模式：广告以及近来的会议。 营收情况：据《纽约客》杂志发表的一篇有关布罗吉特的人物专访文章透露，2012年营收大约为1,200万美元。 盈利情况：今年第一季度小有盈利，但未披露具体数字。 未来动向：收购——至少最终会如此。据说布罗吉特期望该网站会“成为一个规模更大的企业的一部分，或者自身成为规模更大的企业。” | Business Insider New York Founded: 2007 Employees: Not available Readers: 24 million-plus* Who runs it: Ex-Wall Street stock analyst Henry Blodget. What it's known for: Swift business news analysis and recaps of third-party news items, but also sensational headlines and extensive slide shows. Backstory: Ex-Gilt Groupe CEO Kevin P. Ryan and Blodget first drummed up the idea of a tech site, which became Silicon Valley Insider. The site has since expanded into what Business Insider is today. "I wasn't thinking, 'Here's [my] next act,' Blodget recently told USA Today. "I was thinking, 'Here's a real opportunity to do what I've been doing.'" Backers: Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos, Andreessen Horowitz's partner Marc Andreessen, and RRE Ventures, to name a few. Business model: Advertising and more recently, conferences. Revenues: Roughly $12 million in 2012, according to a New Yorker profile on Blodget. Profitable: A small, undisclosed profit during the first quarter of this year. What's next: Acquisition -- at least eventually. Blodget allegedly expects the site to "become part of a larger enterprise or become the larger enterprise." |
SAY Media联合创始人兼CEO马特•桑切斯说：“你将会看到我们现在已准备真正专注于我们一直在创建的业务，而不只是广泛扩张。”图片来源：SAY Media。
SAY Media 旧金山和纽约 成立年份：2005年 雇员人数：400人 读者人数：2,000万人 掌门人：联合创始人兼CEO马特•桑切斯。 成名原因：它是一个汇集时尚、科技和生活方式网站的综合网站，包括在2011年收购的科技博客网站读写网（READWRITE），由前Business Insider创始成员丹•弗洛姆执笔的科技博客网站SplatF，以及由Sassy Magazine创始人简•普拉特以女性为中心的网站xoJane。 背景：SAY是由耶鲁校友大卫•勒曼和凯文•史莱德克和桑切斯共同创办的视频发布和共享网络VideoEgg的产物。桑切斯解释说：“我们在许多有趣的网站上销售了许多广告，我们凭借这些广告经验，做了许多事情，但无法控制网页的其余部分。”他感觉有点被蓬勃发展的“个人出版”运动拒之门外，然后他们看到了一个机会，就像VideoEgg应对广告业务那样发展在线阅读体验。因此，在2010年，VideoEgg收购了软件公司Six Apart，并把自己更名为SAY Media。公司重点变成了广告网络，以及在线编辑内容。桑切斯强调指出，网站的在线编辑内容持有自己的“观点”。 资助者：据报道，自2005年以来，NEA私募股权投资公司、Maveron风投公司、第一资本风投公司（First Round Capital）等总计投资了6,000多万美元。 商业模式：以广告为基础，不过SAY也正在开始涉足电子商务，目的是让读者能够更直接地购买他们在各种网站上了解到的商品。 营收：没有数据 盈利：还没有，今年晚些时候。 未来动向：意思是除了最近收购青少年在线杂志Rookie还有什么别的动作吗？桑切斯说：“扩大我们的品牌。我们在过去两年已从网络广告公司转型为媒体公司，我认为，大家将会看到我们现在已准备真正专注于我们一直在创建的业务，不只是广泛扩张我们的第一线业务。”公司也会裁员。如今，这家公司表示，随着自身从广告网络向更趋编辑驱动型网站转型，它将裁掉10％的员工。(财富中文网) 译者：iDo98 | SAY Media San Francisco and New York Founded: 2005 Employees: 400 Readers: 20 million Who runs it: Co-founder Matt Sanchez. What it's known for: An umbrella of style, tech, and lifestyle websites including the tech site ReadWrite, acquired in 2011, SplatF, a tech blog penned by former Business Insider founding member Dan Frommer, and the female-focused xoJane, from Sassy Magazinefounder Jane Pratt. Backstory: SAY is the result of VideoEgg, a video publishing and sharing network, co-founded by Yale alums David Lerman, Kevin Sladek, and Sanchez. "We were selling a lot of advertising on lots of fun sites, and we'd done a lot with the ad experience but couldn't control the rest of the page," explains Sanchez, who felt somewhat shut out from the burgeoning "personal publishing" movement and saw an opportunity to evolve the online reading experience just as much as VideoEgg had done with advertising. So in 2010, VideoEgg acquired the software company Six Apart and rebranded itself to SAY Media. The focus became its ad network and online editorial content with what Sanchez emphasizes has a "point of view." Backers: NEA, Maveron, and and others have reportedly invested over $60 million since 2005. Business model: Ad-based, although SAY is beginning to dabble in commerce also, with the goal of enabling readers to more directly purchase items they read about on various sites. Revenues: Not available. Profitable: No, later this year. What's next: Besides the recent acquisition of the teenage online mag Rookie? "Building out the brands we have," says Sanchez. "The last two years have been transforming from ad network to media company. I think you're going to see us now really get focused on what we've been building more so than vast expansion of our front line." Layoffs too. Today the company said it was laying off 10% of its staff as it transitions from an ad network to a more editorially driven site. |
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