The New York Times leverages gaming to level up and stay current

The New York Times (NYT) has a history of engaging its audience beyond its core news content as far back as the 1940s, when it first launched its now-iconic crosswords. Since 2014, the news organisation has been doubling down on games as a way to keep its audience (including many older consumers) engaged. The strategy was crucial, as the news media landscape was – and still is – in turmoil, losing mind and market share to social media, video platforms, and other forms of news consumption. 

NYT’s digital game business strategy kicked off in earnest in 2022, when it acquired viral word game sensation Wordle for a six-figure sum – a bid to supercharge its digital subscription growth strategy. Now, Wordle sits alongside several other games, including other puzzlers Connections and Strands, in the NYT games app (also available via a bundled subscription).

The strategy seems to be paying off, as NYT continues to see positive performance metrics, including rising digital revenues and new subscribers to its digital bundles, despite the news media and print landscape continuing to decline. More than a quarter of consumers over 55 counted puzzle games as a favourite game genre, so NYT’s focus on games in this genre is keeping current subscribers engaged and attracting new ones.

Simply put: entertainment companies across different media types and segments are all competing for consumers’ time and attention. Luckily, non-gaming companies can leverage games to achieve their business goals.

Roles

This report is relevant to the following roles:

Audience Insight