What publishers can learn from The New York Times's 'solar system' model - with global ads VP Tom Armstrong

The New York Times is something of a rarity in contemporary news publishing: a legacy giant that is seeing double-digit revenue growth and consistent readership growth.It's no surprise, then, that many commercial leaders at other publishers here in the UK have pointed to the Gray Lady as having developed a model they want to emulate.So to kick off our publishing week in focus here at The Media Leader, it was a pleasure to sit down with Tom Armstrong, The New York Times’s VP of global advertising.Host Jack Benjamin spoke with Armstrong in sunny Cannes about how NYT’s “solar system” strategy of surrounding its reporting with verticals like cooking and games has driven commercial opportunity, the publisher’s strategy for international expansion, and how NYT is embracing multimedia journalism.Highlights:1:19: What's driving NYT's growth: Portfolio transformation, subscription-first strategy4:59: Is NYT not just a news company anymore?6:52: International growth strategy8:23: Why it's important for publishers to be sought out by name in the new era of AI search12:07: Pivoting to video (again) - opportunities and pitfallsRelated articles:‘We are a destination’: NYT’s global ads chief talks the Gray Lady’s international ambitionsNew York Times publisher warns journalism faces its ‘Napster moment’‘The division between church and state isn’t sustainable’: Journalists weigh-up life as a creatorPublishers advised to be ‘niche at scale’ amid the winding road to Google Zero