The first phase of the Enhanced Fundamentals Lab (EFL) program of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), developed with the support of Google and executed by Marktube Group, culminated with excellent results for the participating media. This initiative, which involved some 80 media outlets in Central and South America, was created to promote the digital transformation of media outlets, improving their sustainability and competitiveness in the digital environment. Paraguay's El Nacional newspaper was part of this group of companies trained with excellent results.
The program was developed between August 2023 and October 2024, and offered the media 51 hours of group training and 880 hours of personalized mentoring, focusing on critical areas such as content optimization, monetization, use of advanced technology and social networks.
During this phase, media from different countries implemented digital strategies that generated significant increases in their traffic and revenue metrics, positioning themselves as leaders of innovation in regional journalism.
“It is a real source of satisfaction to see the extraordinary results that have emerged from these Google-backed IAPA labs. Media outlets that have faced great challenges have achieved remarkable advances in their operations, content distribution, sustainability and monetization. This success reaffirms our commitment to press freedom and strengthening the industry throughout the region,” said José Roberto Dutriz, new president of the Inter American Press Association.
“We are very excited about the results of the first phase of the Enhanced Fundamentals Lab. It is inspiring to see how media outlets in the region are embracing digital innovation and improving their business models. At Google, we remain committed to supporting the news industry in Latin America on its path to digital sustainability,” said Henrique Matos, Director of News Partnerships for Latin America at Google.
“We are very satisfied with the road travelled and the achievements reached in the framework of the Enhanced Fundamentals Lab program with the media during these months of work. Marktube is very pleased to be able to contribute in a concrete way to the digital media ecosystem in pursuit of the economic sustainability of the participants,” said Ezequiel Arbusti, CEO of Marktube.
Inscreasing revenues
The EFL has helped media such as El Nuevo Diario of the Dominican Republic, which increased its revenues by 104.2% and users by 247.7%, highlighting the implementation of digital monetization strategies and redesign of its web platform?
Similarly, CDN 37 in the Dominican Republic increased its visits by 12% and its subscribers by 42% after strengthening its SEO practices and diversifying its monetization channels.
La Prensa de Nicaragua, for its part, benefited from a digital strategy aimed at capturing the audience in the United States, experiencing a 210% growth in impressions and an 82% increase in new users?
The impact of the program has been significant not only in terms of metrics, but also in the organizational culture of the participating media. Búsqueda de Uruguay, for example, reported a 252% increase in views and a 44.3% improvement in social media engagement, thanks to a strategic migration of its CMS and the implementation of a team specialized in audiences?
La Vida de Nos, in Venezuela, experienced a 150% increase in views, strengthening its SEO and storytelling practices on platforms such as TikTok to capture younger audiences.
Second phase: Digital Revenue Accelerator
Following the successes of the initial phase, IAPA, with the support of Google, has launched the second phase of the program, called the Digital Revenue Accelerator. This new phase aims to consolidate the achievements obtained, providing participating media with advanced monetization tools and strategies to ensure their financial sustainability in an increasingly competitive environment.
With this second phase, IAPA reinforces its commitment to support media outlets in Latin America, helping them to adopt innovative digital practices and strengthening audiences' access to quality information. The program continues to drive the digital transformation of the industry, building a more resilient and sustainable future for regional journalism.
The Digital Revenue Accelerator aims to optimize the digital revenue strategies of participating media, who will receive specialized training and personalized support to:
Discover areas of opportunity in inventory management and ad delivery.
Currently, some twenty Central American media are participating in the Accelerator, and in the next few days the call for South American media will be launched.
Both IAPA and Google have expressed their satisfaction with the results of these initiatives, and have reaffirmed their commitment to seek new ways to support the continent's media to better face the challenges of the current environment.
Diversify their revenue sources.
Use data to improve their performance.
