September 8, 2025 | SIGN UP

Sara Jerde

Sara Jerde
DIGIDAY, MANAGING EDITOR

The New York Times is betting that a new subscription offer aimed at family and friends will help it reach 15 million subscribers by the end of 2027. At $30 per month, the new plan will allow up to four people to share access to news and games — with personalized accounts that reflect their interests and retain their individual games scores.

Of course, The New York Times has focused on bundling its non-news offerings before, from Games to Cooking. (Did you know that the Times has published a daily crossword puzzle since 1942?)

Elsewhere, here’s what publishers’ current woes are and how media execs feel about the recent Google search trial remedies.

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Top stories

How The New York Times is betting on a new family plan to grow its digital subscriber base and revenue

The New York Times’ new family plan is key to its overall subscription strategy to boost acquisition, retention and revenue.

GAMING & ESPORTS

Why the New York Times is forging connections with gamers as it diversifies its audience

The New York Times is not becoming a gaming company. But as it continues to diversify its editorial offerings for the digital era, the Times has embraced puzzle gamers as one of its core captive audiences.

SPONSORED BY MEDIA.NET

What marketers are looking for from SSPs

When it comes to programmatic marketing, transparency is non-negotiable, and it needs proof. Today, every SSP claims to be transparent. But marketers want transparency that they can verify.

GAMING & ESPORTS

The New York Times looks to gaming product to grow subscriptions

The Times' use of games as a subscriber funnel is part of a renewed focus on gaming sparked by the company's acquisition of Wordle.

SPONSORED BY MARIGOLD

Live session: Strategies for subscriber engagement — from revenue to retention and loyalty

Subscriber engagement is top of mind for every media brand, but siloed data, rising acquisition costs and ongoing churn make sustainable growth more challenging than ever. Join this webinar on Sept. 30, or watch on demand, to learn how publishers are rethinking subscriber engagement to build loyalty and long-term revenue.

PUBLISHING IN THE PLATFORM ERA

Overheard during the Digiday publisher town hall

Revenue optimization, dealing with DSPs and SSPs and AI were top of mind for publishers during Digiday's virtual town hall event.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Media Briefing: DOJ’s Google search trial remedies fall flat for publishers

The DOJ's ruling means Google’s search engine remains deeply intertwined with AI, which some consider a "big win" for Google.

SPONSORED BY EXPERIAN MARKETING SERVICES

How curation is causing a fundamental change to programmatic advertising

Curation is no longer a trend. It solves signal loss problems by directly connecting to the supply path and using a broader spectrum of identity solutions to boost addressability. Curation also eases dependence on any single identifier and increases relevant bidding opportunities for marketers to target audiences.

Other things to know

WorkLife Awards: Recognize your company as a top employer

For organizations striving to attract and retain top talent, cultivating a strong company culture is more important than ever. The WorkLife Awards offer an opportunity to recognize your employer for achievements in hybrid work environments, mentorship programs and more. Enter by September 26 to save on entries.