Welcome to the Press Gazette Future of Media US newsletter on Friday, 17 July.
🤖 A new team is now running Playboy, reviving the magazine in print and online after its headline-making closure six years ago.
Is there a place for a mainstream magazine that so strongly focuses on female nudity in 2026?
I spoke to editor-in-chief Phillip Picardi and president David Miller who both think it can be done in a modern, respectful, inclusive way. Miller described making the decision to join carefully, citing his teenage daughters and nephews in Playboy’s target demographic.
Cara Delevingne’s cover (the second under the relaunch) was revealed this week. It’s the first time a supermodel has worn the Playboy bunny outfit for the magazine since Kate Moss in 2014 and she’s the first out lesbian on the print cover.
From a business perspective, they’re taking it slow but were pleasantly surprised to see the first issue sell out a modest print run. Digital subscriptions have been launched, events are likely to follow, and the aim is that it will all boost the group’s licensing revenue from the Playboy brand.
👮 In Big Tech, American companies and law have an outsized influence on the rest of the world.
This includes copyright law - with the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act being weaponised to silence reporting internationally.
Google is removing many thousands of articles due to fraudulent copyright claims without verifying if the complainant has a real case and without notifying the publishers affected.
One of two Press Gazette stories recently removed from Google, for example, was targeted using a false claim it was copied from a Reddit post (which was about a completely different subject).
But it’s much wider than just us. You can read Rob Waugh’s investigation here.
🐝 And finally, Beehiiv has added the ability for creators and publishers to build community discussion features within its platform.
It’s one of several updates Beehiiv announced yesterday that signal a further step in its move away from being a “newsletter platform” to one that does the full content package. But newsletters remain the core, CEO Tyler Denk told me.
The larger publishers that use its newsletter hosting abilities pushed for the arrival of programmatic advertising, Denk said, making monetising emails a more efficient extra revenue stream.
Newsweek’s Traffic Fell 75%. Its Revenue Is Rising Anyway - Adweek
TMZ DC Is Asking the Tough Questions: Whither a Gay President? Are Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau Going the Distance? - Vanity Fair
Business Insider’s big bet against aggregation - Nieman Lab
Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 as AI search choked the open web - Digiday
Awards in their fifth year celebrate editorial, commercial and product excellence from UK and worldwide.
Media lawyer condemns Harry statement, plus accused journalist ‘angry’ over ‘desperate’ case.
Digital News Report author Nic Newman explained how publishers should respond.
Bauer brand tells writers it has “introduced the use of AI tools” for its in-house editorial team.
Schibsted Media has 1.25 million digital-only subscribers across its newsbrands.
In this special edition, Charlotte Tobitt and Dominic Ponsford unpick the fallout from Prince Harry and others’ historic privacy action failure against Associated Newspapers.
Includes interviews with media lawyer Louis Charalambous who said Prince Harry should apologise for a post-trial statement which was “beyond the pale” and which proved he is a terrible loser. We also heard from former Daily Mail showbiz editor Nicole Lampert about the “terrifying” ordeal of having her reputation put on trial on the basis of zero evidence.
What happens next? Charalambous gives his view on Harry’s chances of winning an appeal and explains who is likely to pick up the £50 million legal bill.
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