Newseria Founder Artur Woliński: We Will Launch at Least One New Service This Year

Newseria Founder Artur Woliński: We Will Launch at Least One New Service This Year

We interviewed Artur Woliński about his company’s plans, the media’s demand for agency-related content and the growing video advertising market.

The world of media, or even broader, the world of communication has undergone some major dynamic changes. Though in its substance the foundation has not changed, the social ecosystem is definitely under the strong influence of mobile culture and the ease of content generation and distribution. The results are plain to see: online platforms have been adapting to the rising importance of the multimedia. How is the space which so far has been occupied by news agencies shaping in this context? Its role, functioning, and modus operandi—are they evolving?

It was the growing importance of multimedia that we saw and that became the basis for creating a concept for an agency which would respond to the evolving needs of the market. At the time we were launching Newseria, there was not another platform of this kind on the market, even though 5 years ago the media’s demand for agency news was clear already. This had a lot to do with the development of online media outlets and the need to consume video content. Besides, the advertising market was expecting these services to include this type of content. It became another tool for online services to increase revenues, and thereby contribute to further development.

TV, press and radio stations couldn’t ignore this trend either. They had to redefine their role and position in this fast-changing world.

All these needs formed the foundation of our business. Different media outlets began expanding their multimedia departments more intensively over the years. However, it did not limit the demand for agency news, and for us, it meant a clear incentive to create thematic sections and develop new functionalities.

Obviously, it also led to the emergence of several new agency entities trying to generate multimedia content for the media on the market. Most of them, however, did not manage to meet the high demands and expectations of the media market, which is looking for quality, reliable, and trustworthy content.

Another topic that has stirred many discussions is combining a commercial mission with an informational one. A clear division into editorial and advertising has proven to work really well so far. PR reps were contacting editorial teams, then marketing analyzed offers and everyone was happy. Journalists, advertisers and the customer in the end. The trend of partner publications has been escalating for several years now. Today, actually no editorial team is restricting access for companies wishing to publish commercial content, which actually has many benefits, as these types of publications give full control over the general message. Is it going to be like this now? Do you agree with how things have changed? What is worth bearing in mind in this context?

It is always the market that determines the success of any form of action. The same is true for news. And it doesn’t matter whether they result from editorial or commercial collaboration, they are subject to evaluation based on quality and functionality in terms of content. Every day, journalists are bombarded with hundreds of press releases from companies and PR agencies. These frequently become an inspiration for journalistic articles, even if they’re marketing news. So, basically, the principle “content is king” applies here.

How has Newseria been developing in this context? What’s going to happen next year? How about in five years?

We are convinced that this model will continue to be attractive to our audience for a long time. This will be mainly due to the rapid development of video advertising, which—according to PwC—will be the fastest growing ad segment by 2020. Its growth is forecast at 32%. This will surely drive the development of multimedia content.

Today, as a leader in this market, we see the need for developing thematic sections. I can reveal that at least one new service will see its launch this year. We’re also planning to intensify our production activities, as Newseria news agency is also delivering expert television programs produced in collaboration with various institutions and companies. We also have many other ideas which we can’t really talk about at this stage. Obviously, we are monitoring the trends that affect the multimedia market, so we can always be one step ahead of any changes. I’m just going to add that we are also negotiating with stakeholders interested in engaging financially in developing Newseria. We are currently reviewing in detail their offers. We’re not ruling out the possibility of partnering up with one of them. Their interest clearly proves the great potential and attractiveness of the market. 

Interview by

Michał Szapiro