Where chat messaging and news media companies intersect to grow quality audiences and attract younger readers is the focus of a new report released today by INMA. 

“Chat Apps and Bots: The Next Media Distribution Platform” looks at how seven news media companies on four continents have become early adopters and creative implementers of chat messaging practices. 

INMA members can download the report by clicking here.

Non-members can order the report (US$795) by clicking here. 

Augmented by an overview of chat messaging platforms and global data, the report profiles WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat, as well as the new practice of targeting micro-groups to offer a private and safe place for intimate conversations. 

The report looks at:

• Experiments with text-based chat bots and voice-based chat assistants, powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

• The rise of chat assistants on new AI devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home, and where media companies like The Washington Post come into play at this “infant stage.”

• The emergence of a chat messenger strategy by media companies aiming to grow audience and engagement – especially one-on-one relationships.

Media companies profiled for their chat messaging best practices include Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine (HNA), Metro Belgium, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Clarín, and BBC World Service.

“Chat Apps and Bots: The Next Media Distribution Platform” is co-authored by Martha Stone, CEO of the World Newsmedia Network and founder of the Big Data For Media Conference; Laurie Benson, a television, print, digital and event media executive with experience in the United States, Europe, Middle East and Africa; and Tim Sohn, CEO of Sohn Social Media Solutions.

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