Subscription Growth Seminar

This INMA Subscriptions Growth Seminar examines how subscription growth is being redefined in a more fragmented, algorithm-driven media environment. As traditional funnels break down and discovery shifts toward platforms, AI, and creators, publishers are rethinking the fundamentals of their business: from how they build brand relevance and organise teams, to how they design products and capture value. Across four deep-dive case studies and a benchmarking-focused session, the seminar explores a common shift: from optimising a single funnel to building systems for growth, combining brand, product, organisation, and bundling into a coherent strategy. You will learn firsthand how leading publishers expand their addressable market, increase engagement and ARPU, and build more resilient subscription businesses by redefining what the product is, who the customer is, and how value is created.

Location:
Hotel Adlon Kempinski
Unter den Linden 77, Berlin

Set within the timeless elegance of the Hotel Adlon Kempinski, the lunch break offers a moment to pause, connect, and recharge. Over lunch delegates can continue conversations sparked during the morning sessions while enjoying one of Berlin’s most iconic settings. 

Location:
Adlon Hotel, Unter den Linden
Unter den Linden 77, 10117 Berlin

We set the stage for the seminar by reframing subscription growth in the context of today’s disrupted media environment. INMA’s Greg Piechota will introduce the core themes: from branding and organisational design to bundling and product strategy, while providing a lens for connecting the individual case studies into a broader shift in how subscription businesses are built.

In this session, Riske Betten of Mediahuis will explore how branding is shifting from a marketing function to a core strategic asset as platforms, AI, and creators reshape how audiences discover and choose news. She will examine why brands matter more than ever in a world where funnels are fragmented, and decisions are increasingly mediated by algorithms. Riske will show how Mediahuis articulates the value of journalism to different audiences, and what often-overlooked effects strong brands have beyond reach and awareness.

A deep dive into how Der Tagesspiegel is transforming from a regional, print-led newsroom into a national, subscription-driven digital business by reorganising around the audience and the funnel. This session is led by an editor and his partner on the business side, and it will show how editorial and commercial teams are integrated into cross-functional squads with shared KPIs for growth and profitability, how data and audience insights are embedded directly into newsroom workflows, and how symbolic and structural changes help shift culture.

Jürgen from PD Digital, a successful media group from Southern Germany, will show how evolving business needs drove their adoption of different tools. And why a comprehensive and reliable data strategy is vital for subscription growth and total revenue optimization.

Bonnier News will show how it is consolidating Sweden’s fragmented local news market by building a shared infrastructure for itself and partner publishers. By standardising tech and data sharing, it lowers platform costs and enables collaboration across 70 news brands. With over 1.1 million subscribers, including nearly 700,000 digital-only, it creates the foundation for bundling at scale. Products like +Allt combine local and national journalism to expand usage, grow digital revenue, and strengthen retention across the ecosystem.

In this session, Anjali Iyer will show how The Washington Post moved beyond a one-size-fits-all subscription to a structured product line, combining daily and weekly passes, core subscriptions, premium bundles, and a new enterprise product — WP Intelligence — to match different user needs and identities. The shift reframes growth from optimising a single funnel to expanding the total market: letting casual users pay for access on their terms, while using bundles and premium tiers to drive engagement, retention, and lifetime value.

In closing, INMA’s Greg Piechota will synthesise the key lessons from the seminar into a practical framework for subscription success in 2026 and beyond. The goal is to leave you with a clear set of strategic choices and actionable insights on how to move from funnel optimisation to building integrated growth systems in their own organisations.