Launched in November, the subscription service Minutes by Nikkei — a modern media service designed to address the needs of a younger, time-conscious generation that prefers concise, easily digestible news — offers summaries of essential news content, breaking it down into three key articles daily, specifically targeted at businesspeople. 

Unlike its parent site Nikkei.com, which publishes over 1,000 articles per day covering a wide range of topics, Minutes by Nikkei focuses on curating only the most important content, designed to save readers time while keeping them informed.

Why launch Minutes by Nikkei?

Nikkei.com, with over a million subscribers, is a well-established news source in Japan. However, the editors behind Minutes by Nikkei identified a gap in their readership demographic, particularly among younger professionals and students who often felt overwhelmed by the extensive content on Nikkei.com.

Seiya Shinhashi, product manager at Nikkei Japan, who joined Nikkei three years ago, explained during the recent INMA Asia/Pacific News Media Summit that many of today’s readers prefer a more efficient way of consuming news.  

The problem was clear: Nikkei needed to appeal to this new generation, but staffing and editorial resources were limited. To tackle this challenge, the company turned its attention to leveraging artificial intelligence to optimise and support the editorial process.

Introducing GenAI: the Nikkei Tailor tool

At the core of Minutes by Nikkei’s success is Nikkei Tailor, a generative AI tool developed in-house by the company’s technology team. 

Nikkei Tailor is specifically designed to assist with the creation of articles, reducing the burden on human editors and streamlining the content creation process. It handles several tasks, from retrieving articles to summarizing, rewriting, and outputting the final content in a reader-friendly format. 

“We see using GenAI as a whole process,” Shinhashi said, emphasising the importance of integrating GenAI as a comprehensive process, not just an auxiliary tool. 

The AI-powered workflow begins with retrieving relevant articles from Nikkei.com based on editor requests. Next, it summarises multiple articles into one cohesive draft, providing only the essential points. It then rewrites the draft into a more accessible style that suits the preferences of modern readers. Finally, the AI generates the output in formats optimised for mobile and digital consumption.

This approach has had a profound impact on efficiency. Nikkei Tailor has reduced staff hours by 50%, allowing the editorial team to focus more on curation and less on drafting. For a publication like Nikkei, which deals with vast amounts of content daily, this has been an invaluable resource in ensuring the news remains relevant, concise, and up to date.

Meeting the needs of a broader audience

One of the key objectives of Minutes by Nikkei is to expand its reach beyond the traditional Nikkei readership. The service caters to several distinct groups of users:

1. Super loyal customers: Readers who highly trust Nikkei and seek quality, in-depth information.
2. Mid loyal customers: Users who rely on Nikkei’s economic news for their work but may not engage deeply with the broader content.
3. Light loyal customers: Those new to Nikkei or still developing the habit of reading the platform regularly.
4. Adjacent and middle interest audiences: This demographic is interested in economic news but finds Nikkei’s full subscription too expensive or overwhelming.
5. Low engagement audience: Individuals who do not prioritize economic news for their work and thus have low sensitivity to the content offered by Nikkei.

For younger professionals and students, Minutes by Nikkei offers a much more approachable alternative, focusing only on what’s essential. Its low subscription price of US$7 per month, compared to the US$30 charged for Nikkei.com, makes it an attractive option for those who are cost-conscious or new to paying for news.

Tackling reader challenges

Several surveys conducted by Nikkei highlighted common reasons why users hesitate to subscribe to Nikkei.com:

Too difficult to read: Many younger users felt that the articles were too difficult to read, especially for those not already well-versed in business and economic terminology.

• Too many articles: The vast number of articles published daily left some readers feeling overwhelmed and unable to keep up. 
• Too expensive: At US$30 per month, the full Nikkei.com subscription price was considered high, particularly for those new to the concept of paying for news. 

Minutes by Nikkei addresses these concerns by simplifying content and drastically reducing the number of articles published each day, focusing on what is most relevant. By delivering just three essential articles daily, the platform meets the needs of those who may not have time for long-form reading while still providing quality information.

Since its launch, Minutes by Nikkei has gained traction among a younger demographic. As of now, the service boasts 1,800 individual subscribers and 8,000 corporate members. Notably, 44% of Minutes by Nikkei’s readership is under the age of 40, a significant increase compared to the 28% of Nikkei.com’s audience in that age group.

Surprisingly, around 50% of Minutes by Nikkei subscribers are not Nikkei.com users. This indicates that the platform has succeeded in attracting a new audience that was previously disengaged from Nikkei’s traditional offerings. By focusing on concise, digestible content, the service has broadened Nikkei’s reach and established itself as an essential tool for younger business professionals.

The future of GenAI in news media

Looking ahead, Nikkei is committed to optimising its use of GenAI technology. 

Shinhashi drew an analogy between GenAI and gravity, emphasising that just as we cannot go against gravity, it would be futile to resist the use of AI in the media industry. Instead, he argued, news organisations must learn to harness AI’s potential to enhance the value they provide to readers.

Nikkei recognises that while AI has already had a significant impact on improving operational efficiency, the real value will be realized when AI technology directly benefits the reader. By continuing to develop tools like Nikkei Tailor, the company hopes to deliver an even more personalized, efficient, and relevant news experience in the future. 

In an era where attention spans are shorter and time is increasingly valuable, Minutes by Nikkei offers a modern solution for news consumption. By leveraging AI through Nikkei Tailor, the service has dramatically improved efficiency while providing essential, high-quality content to a broader, younger audience. As Nikkei continues to innovate with GenAI and expand its offerings, it is well-positioned to remain a leader in the evolving media landscape, providing valuable news in a way that aligns with the preferences of today’s readers. 

“To me, GenAI is like gravity: we cannot go against it,” Shinhashi said. “Sometimes people see GenAI as the enemy but that is wrong. We must leverage this new gravity.”

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