--- title: How the New York Times is unlocking new opportunities in the digital era description: As the 1990s drew to a close, The New York Times was riding a wave of growth in its advertising revenue; and the forecast was for the good times to keep on rolling. But the Internet had other plans for the renowned organisation. image: https://www.accelerate.world/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/James-Sleezak.png --- [![IIC Logo](https://www.accelerate.world/hubfs/IIC%20Logo.svg)](https://iic.accelerate.world) - Community - [Data Vault Innovators Community](https://dvic.accelerate.world) - [Industry Innovators Community](https://iic.accelerate.world) - [Marketplace](https://www.accelerate.world/solution-marketplace) - [Partners](https://www.accelerate.world/ecosystem-partners) - [Intel Hub](https://www.accelerate.world/intelligence-hub) [Join IIC Portal](https://industryinnovatorscommunity.honeycommb.com/login) [Join IIC Portal](https://industryinnovatorscommunity.honeycommb.com/login) Accelerate # How the New York Times is unlocking new opportunities in the digital era Share *James Slezak helped The NYT do more than survive. As COO of the global digital division, he innovated on the digital business model to allow NYT to invest and prosper in the face of disruption.*   #### As the 1990s drew to a close, The New York Times was riding a wave of growth in its advertising revenue; and the forecast was for the good times to keep on rolling. But the Internet had other plans for the renowned organisation.   The barriers to publication came tumbling down, new players began entering the market and a new competitive landscape meant the value of journalism couldn’t just be captured by the major players.   Advertising revenues across the board started plummeting (including at The Times), leading to job cuts, stripped-back operations and, for some publications, it spelt their demise.   But more recently The Times has experienced a resurgence. Earlier this year, it reported [unprecedented growth in digital subscriptions, which are up 60% from 2016](https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2017/05/04/new-york-times-digital-subscriptions-continue-to-drive-growth/#7ae6b31c295c). Slezak says this renewed life has come from leading with the story of why this organisation is important and rallying people behind us to support that mission. Digital disruption can’t be thought of as only a threat to financial viability, because, on the upside, it represents profoundly new and better ways to do things.   For *The Times*, this has meant new opportunities to tell stories, connect communities and make an impact and readers are responding with their support and money.       #### How the New York Times is Unlocking New Opportunities'   **1. Reaching greater audiences** Tapping into a global audience of over 80 million, compared to 5 million in the days before the Internet. There are now over 2 million digital subscribers with more people paying for journalism today than ever before.   **2. Interactive Journalism** Using readers as primary sources for stories by involving them in the creation and presentation of news through social media.   **3. Mobile-first reporting** Developing mobile-specific content to provide optimised experiences, no matter what device readers are using.   **4. Data-driven journalism** Discovering stories by analysing data in new ways and presenting it in original ways. Understanding what readers want when they interact with *The Times *and then serving up the right article to keep them engaged with the brand.    [![Cognition CTA](https://www.accelerate.world/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Cognition%20CTA-May-16-2023-09-07-32-8199-PM.png?width=770&name=Cognition%20CTA-May-16-2023-09-07-32-8199-PM.png)](https://cognition.certussolutions.com/home)   ## Continue reading ###### BLOG #### NASA's Critical Steps for Managing Risk - How to Apply Them to Business NASA Astronaut Mike Mullane shares how His experiences in high-pressure situations have given him a unique perspective on being agile while managing risk. Read now ###### case study #### The Changing Role of Today's CFO The modern CFO must now leverage their understanding and use of technology to help drive business strategy. They need to be business-focussed technologists. Read now ###### Blog #### How The New York Times is Unlocking New Opportunities in the Digital Era James Slezak helped The New York Times innovate and adopt a digital business model to invest and prosper in the face of disruption. Read now # Access the program now Please complete this form if you're ready to take part in the complimentary program of on demand talks, interactive workshops and LIVE ideation hackathon - as well as access useful Digital Transformation frameworks, methodologies and resources. © Accelerate | [Privacy](https://www.accelerate.world/privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Accelerate World", "url" : "https://www.accelerate.world/blog/author/accelerate-world" }, "dateModified" : "2023-06-25T22:21:36.959Z", "datePublished" : "2022-05-16T21:03:30.000Z", "headline" : "How the New York Times is unlocking new opportunities in the digital era", "image" : [ "https://www.accelerate.world/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/James-Sleezak.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.accelerate.world/blog/how-the-new-york-times-is-unlocking-new-opportunities-in-the-digital-erahs_previewlbwrunvr-31202633146hslangen-au", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "Accelerate" } } ```