Just days after Mediaweek wrote about how London’s The Daily Telegraph was turning to puzzles to entertain new Sunday readers, The New York Times has invested further in its puzzle pages with the acquisition of Wordle.
Not strictly pages though as most of The New York Times’ success with games and puzzles is coming from digital subscriptions.
The New York Times announced earlier this week that it was buying the new word puzzle Wordle from its founder Josh Wardle for “low-seven figures”.
The New York Times has set a target of having 10m digital subscribers by 2025. Part of that target is being driven by subscribers to its games and puzzles contained in The New York Times Crossword app. As of late last year both the Times Crossword app and The Times Cooking app each had 1m subscribers as part of The Times’s overall 8m+ total.
The Times explained last year when it hit the 1m mark:
The Games app, which began with the original famed Daily Crossword, introduced the snackable Mini in 2014 and subsequently launched a number of wildly popular games including Spelling Bee, Tiles, Letter Boxed and Vertex. New York Times Games have been played more than 500 million times so far this year.
Wardle has noted that at least initially, Wordle will remain free to play, but expect it to be part of the puzzle app eventually where users can subscribe for an ad free experience.
In announcing the acquisition, The New York Times said:
As The Times looks to entertain more solvers with puzzles every day — especially during these anxious times — we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve acquired Wordle, the stimulating and wildly popular daily word game that has become a cultural phenomenon. Wordle, which gives players six tries to guess a five-letter mystery word, will join New York Times Games’s portfolio of original, engaging puzzle games that delight and challenge solvers every day.
The Times remains focused on becoming the essential subscription for every English-speaking person seeking to understand and engage with the world. New York Times Games are a key part of that strategy. Our games already provide original, high-quality content and experiences every single day. Wordle will now play a part in that daily experience, giving millions more people around the world another reason to turn to The Times to meet their daily news and life needs.
As part of our portfolio of games, Wordle will have an exciting future with the help of a team of talented engineers, designers, editors and more, furthering the user experience.
A Times News Group title
Australia’s puzzle publishers: Bruce Davidson now on board
As regional publishers look for the key to success with local content, Victoria’s Surf Coast News reckons it’s onto a winner with low-cost crosswords and word games, reported GXpress this week.
Based in the state’s surfie heaven of Torquay, the company launched a new website after receiving a government grant of $302,000 in 2019 and now has seven localised news sites.
Its latest venture, Times Puzzles claims to be “the online home for Victoria’s toughest and most addictive crosswords and other word games”. Working with Pagemasters and micropayments start-up Spotpass, it offers access to its puzzles from 25 cents each via a new “megasite”. The company claims it is the first time in Australia, users have been offered access to premium content exclusively through micropayments.
Spotpass was founded in 2020 by Howe and Garry Duursma, who have recently been joined by new board member former AAP chief executive Bruce Davidson, who is currently chief executive of Mediality. Former New York Times ANZ executive Adam Kershaw has been named as chief revenue officer.
Surfcoasttimes publisher Surf Coast News Australia Pty Ltd has been the recipient of almost $800,000 in government grants since the beginning of 2019, under Australia’s PING media programme ($230,882), through the ACMA to purchase video equipment and recruit a digital marketing/sales consultant ($132,592), to develop a new website ($302,830), and for two cadetships ($60,357 each).
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Puzzle pioneers Lovatts
A family-owned and operated business established in 1978 by James and Christine Lovatt, Lovatts Puzzles has stood the test of time to become a household name and a genuine Australian success story.
The Lovatts Crossword & Puzzle magazine range consists of 24 titles distributed throughout Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Many of these titles are represented in the top 10% of Australian magazine sales. Lovatts continues to hold a market share lead in the Crossword and Puzzle category across Australia and New Zealand. The company has also grown a portfolio of titles outside their puzzle portfolio too.
Lovatts also syndicates puzzles and digital content to other major media organisations. Syndicated content features in print publications and websites across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America.