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The Spinoff’s open letter: Join the Committee to Save The Spinoff

Today, The Spinoff has announced a bold new membership drive, the Committee to Save The Spinoff. The campaign seeks to double the number of financial supporters as the organisation faces significant financial pressures caused by declining advertising revenue and reduced public funding.

In an open letter published this morning, The Spinoff’s leadership candidly addressed the challenges confronting the media landscape and their own operations. While the platform continues to reach record-breaking audience numbers, with over 400,000 regular readers and a 25% increase in average time spent on the site compared to 2023, the economic realities threaten its sustainability.

Two primary revenue streams—advertising and state support—have declined dramatically this year. Advertising revenue, a critical source of funding, has plummeted due to a broader industry-wide trend of investment shifting to unregulated global platforms. Concurrently, public funding from entities such as NZ On Air and Creative NZ has been significantly reduced, leaving The Spinoff unable to secure support for projects in consecutive funding rounds.

These financial constraints have forced the organisation to make difficult decisions, including reducing permanent staff, halting external editorial commissions, and pausing several popular products, such as newsletters Future Proof and The Boil Up, and The Friday Poem.

Despite these setbacks, The Spinoff’s engagement metrics remain robust, with its biggest ever year for podcast listenership and growing demand for its high-quality journalism. However, audience size and impact have become increasingly detached from financial sustainability.

To bridge this gap, The Spinoff is calling on its community to take direct action by becoming financial supporters. “We need our audience to be the most reliable indicator of our value—and source of support,” the letter states. Regular monthly or annual contributions will allow the platform to continue delivering the journalism that helps New Zealanders understand themselves and the world.

This is not the first time The Spinoff has turned to its readers in a time of need. In 2020, audience support tripled during the Covid-19 lockdown, enabling the platform to continue its vital work. Leadership remains hopeful that the same collective spirit will prevail once again.

For those who value The Spinoff’s role in New Zealand’s media ecosystem, the team encourages immediate action to join the Committee to Save The Spinoff by donating or gifting a membership today.

The letter, co-signed by The Spinoff Founder Duncan Greive, CEO Amber Easby and Editor Madeleine Chapman, can be read in full HERE

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