In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, News24 has emerged as South Africa’s most trusted and widely read news source, a title it has earned for six years running, according to the Reuters Institute.

But maintaining that position hasn’t come without reinvention.

“We’ve had to completely change the way we think about selling news,” said Jerusha Roth, publisher of News24, speaking at the recent INMA World Congress of News Media in New York. “It’s the only way to survive in a constrained and competitive market.”

With a relatively young paywall, launched just five years ago, and over 100,000 subscribers, News24 has managed to strike a rare balance: offering accessible breaking news while placing deeper, more costly journalism like documentaries, podcasts, Webinars, and in-depth analysis behind the paywall.

Putting audience needs first

What’s driving this success?

A fundamental shift in how News24 approaches its relationship with its readers, Roth said: “Our journalism is tailored to what users want.”

The editorial team implemented a user needs model, segmenting content into four categories:

• Know: Fast, fact-based breaking news.
• Learn: Explanatory and analytical pieces.
• Feel: Stories that connect emotionally.
• Act: Content that empowers audiences to take action.

“We realised our audience wasn’t just consuming news,” Roth said. “They wanted to understand, feel something, and do something with the information.”

This model has had a measurable effect on engagement. News24 now reaches around 700,000 daily active users, with growing interaction depth. Every tap, click, or scroll is tracked, revealing not just reach, but meaningful attention.

“What I’m most proud of is our page depth,” Roth said. “That tells us people are really engaging with our journalism.”

Matching brands with reader intent

Roth outlined how these editorial insights transformed News24’s commercial strategy.

“In South Africa, we’re out there fighting for just 0.5% of the advertising pie,” she said. “We had to stop seeing ourselves as victims of the system and reframe our thinking.”

This approach also shaped how News24 sells advertising. The same audience needs that guide editorial content, like learning, feeling, and acting, now define how advertising packages are built.

For example, banks or schools are matched with content under the “Learn” category, brands focused on emotional connection fit into “Feel,” and campaigns that encourage action fall under “Act.”

“Advertisers have needs, too,” Roth said. “And when we started thinking about news this way, our sales team was able to move faster and feel more in control.”

One of the most innovative outcomes is Match 24, a tool inspired by The New York Times’ advertising strategy. It maps thousands of News24 topics and matches advertisers with moments of peak interest and engagement in real time.

“It sounds like a dating app, but it’s not,” Roth joked. “It’s how we connect the right advertiser with the right audience at the right moment.”

Another way News24 connects advertisers with audience needs is through contextual advertising, especially effective when brands are promoting a product or service.

“We’ve found that when advertisers want to highlight something new or time-sensitive, contextual placements work incredibly well,” Roth said. Using AI, News24 can match advertiser content with relevant editorial topics, increasing the chances of discovery and engagement.

But context isn’t the only strategy. Roth explained how even “Know”-oriented advertising can serve more complex goals, like launching a new product. In those cases, News24 offers partners a bespoke experience that mirrors the newsroom environment.

“When one of our partners was launching a new bank in South Africa, we ran a live-update format through our commercial studio,” she said. “It looked and felt like our live editorial coverage, fully disclosed as partner content, but it gave them a newsroom of their own, tied to the rhythm and tone of our brand.”

These projects are carefully selected and require sign-off from both the editor-in-chief and the publisher to ensure they align with News24’s journalistic standards.

The “Learn” quadrant, meanwhile, has proven both versatile and impactful. Roth mentioned their successful “Budget Breakfast Briefings,” where News24 partners with financial institutions to unpack critical national issues, such as the annual budget speech, through events, live coverage, and webinars. But educational content doesn’t always need to be heavy.

“We’ve done unboxings with tech companies, and we’re planning to launch our affiliate program by July,” she said, crediting inspiration from Condé Nast’s commerce strategy.

As for “Feel,” the need for emotional connection is more important than ever. “Especially in today’s world, people are looking for hope and positivity,” Roth said.

Earlier this year, News24 responded by launching a Good News section. The response was immediate and strong: in April alone, they published 24 uplifting stories, reaching over 500,000 pageviews, an exceptional performance in their market.

This needs-based strategy, aligning both editorial and advertising with what South Africans genuinely seek from their news, is at the heart of News24’s model.

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