New media project Now reaches 5,000 members for the start!

New media project Now reaches 5,000 members for the start!

Vienna, Österreich - On July 5, 2025, Florian Novak, the founder of the new online medium "now", presented remarkable progress in the acquisition of members. The campaign goal was reached with over 5,000 payment members, which enables the project to start. Novak informed the public about this success in a newsletter and emphasized the need to create a strong financial foundation in order to ensure the independence and quality of journalism in text and audio form.

Membership that will cost a monthly contribution of 17.90 euros remains open up to and including Sunday. Over 3,000 members had previously voted to extend the search until July 6, which corresponds to an approval of 92 percent. Novak made it clear that a start of the project with fewer members was not possible, since the financial contributions would be necessary to support the team.

future content and team structure

The editorial team from "Now" is headed by the editor-in-chief Elisalex Henckel-Donnersmarck and the investigative journalist Christo Grozev. Grozev will contribute in particular to articles with Austria reference and contribute its expertise to the training of investigative journalists. An offer is planned that includes both daily morning overviews and deeply researched stories.

A central feature of the new media project will be the strong focus on audio content. All articles and overviews are also offered for listening. The members should be actively involved in discussions, with an obligation to make a clear name. The diversity of topics ranges from domestic politics to sport to culture, whereby the approach has successfully aimed at creating relevance in everyday life.

challenges for the media industry

In an increasingly challenging environment, “now” must also face the current conditions in the media industry. According to a study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, media companies are faced with a variety of challenges. Political pressure and restrictive legislation endanger freedom of the press, while new financing models are becoming more important.

An important factor for the economic future of the media will be the generation of memberships and subscriptions that already make up 77 percent of the sources of sales. This makes the “NOW” approach of relying on active membership, all the more relevant. Industry experts urgently ask for future journalists to deal with digital innovations and platform strategies in order to help shape the future of journalism.

The launch appointment for "now" has not yet been determined, but is expected to take place in autumn 2025. Until then, the team, which is supposed to consist of around a dozen journalists, will continue to be built up.