Revenue Management: #9 Revenue Recognition in Media & Publishing
Media & Publishing industry has evolved in recent times. It offers subscriptions, bundles digital and print access, runs sponsored content, and sometimes even sells ad spaces. If you run a media or publishing business, you will always get into a situation where you get paid in advance, but how do you determine what part of the money is earned today versus what needs to be deferred for the future? Can you recognize all of them upfront? Or should it spread across issues or impressions?
How do publishers and media platforms handle revenue?
Revenue Recognition Scenarios in Media & Publishing
Subscriptions, advertising contracts, bundled content, and sponsored campaigns often complicate revenue recognition in media and publishing. Though accounting guidelines like ASC 606 and IFRS 15 apply, how you use them varies based on how you deliver content.
Subscription Revenue
When a customer pays for a weekly, monthly, or annual subscription, the revenue must be spread across the subscription period, as content is delivered over time rather than upfront.
Example: A $120 annual magazine subscription should be recognized at $10 monthly over 12 months.
Bundled Offerings
You may offer print+digital access, or magazine+e-book bundles. Each component should be recognized separately based on delivery schedules and relative values.
Example: A $240 subscription includes $180 of weekly print magazines and $60 for e-book access. Revenue is recognized $15/month for print and $60 once access is granted.
Advertising Revenue
Advertising may be sold per issue, impressions, or based on clicks. You can recognize revenue only after delivery of an impression or publication, not when the ad is sold or paid for.
Example: A $5000 ad campaign for 1,00,000 impressions recognizes revenue only as impressions are delivered (say $500 for every 10,000)
Sponsored Content or Paid Articles
Sponsored stories or influencer placements should be recognized on publication date or campaign completion, depending on the agreement.
Example: A $2000-paid article is published on July 5th, and revenue is recognized on the same day.
Cancellations & Refunds
If a subscriber cancels mid-cycle and gets a partial refund, revenue must be adjusted with only the earned portion as recognized.
Example: $120 yearly subscription cancelled after 3 months. Only $30 will be considered recognized.
These scenarios highlight how delivery, not payment, drives revenue recognition. With multiple formats and monetisation models in place, manual revenue recognition handling is a huge task prone to errors and misstatements.
Scenario:
Your publishing company sells an annual subscription package at $240. This subscription covers weekly print magazine work of $15 and on-demand access to the digital library, which is valued at $60. The customer pays upfront on the 1st of January.
Zoho Billing for Media Revenue Recognition
Publishers and content creators will be able to work with Zoho Billing to define revenue recognition rules based on content delivery and access architecture.
For the scenario above, you may go with the following revenue recognition rule configuration,
Component | Recognition Frequency | Recognition Method | Recognition Time |
Print Magazines | Monthly | Evenly Distributed Prorated | Period Start |
Digital Library | Once | One-Time (Daily) | Period Start |
Even though the $240 is received upfront, revenue must be split evenly for the subscription-based service.
Reports in Zoho Billing
Let's say you are checking the reports during March.
i) Recognized Revenue Report
Component | Recognized Revenue | Description |
Digital Library | $60 | Fully recognized on the subscription start date |
Print Magazine | $45 | $15x3 issues delivered |
Total Recognized | $105 | recognized at the end of three months |
ii) Deferred Revenue Report
After three months of offering, nine print issues are still pending delivery.
Component | Deferred Amount |
Digital Library | $0 |
Print Magazine | $135 (9 months of deliverables) |
Total Deferred | $135 |
iii) Revenue Waterfall Report
Month | Digital Library | Print Magazine | Total |
Month 1 | $60 | $15 | $75 |
Month 2 | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 3 | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 4 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 5 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 6 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 7 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 8 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 9 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 10 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 11 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Month 12 (upcoming) | ---- | $15 | $15 |
Total (after 3 months) | $60 | $45 | $105 |
Only at the end of one year will the full payment you received be considered recognized revenue.
Best Practices for the Media Industry while recognizing revenue
- Break Down Subscriptions: Separate print, digital, access, ads, and events into individual deliverables.
Match Revenue to Delivery: Recognize only when issues go out, impressions are served, or access granted.
Account for Returns & Refund: Handle cancellations by adjusting the deferred revenue schedules automatically.
Monitor Reports Monthly: Revenue Waterfall and Deferred reports ensure timely recognition tracking.
Up Next: Common Mistakes while Recognizing Revenue
Topic Participants
Hari | Zoho Billing
Sticky Posts
Community Learning Series | Digest #5 — September 2020
Dear customers, We're happy to bring you the September edition of our #CommunityDigest! Keep track of your subscription KPIs right from your smartphone: Last month, we enhanced our Android mobile app to help our customers get daily updates on their business health. We got to know from a lot of customers that this has made their job much more easier because they no longer have to keep a reminder to manually check on the previous day's revenue or activations. If you have not downloaded it yet, here'sCommunity Learning Series | Digest #4 - August 2020
Dear customers, We hope you're staying safe and healthy. I'm happy to bring you the fourth edition of our #CommunityDigest with some brand-new updates from us. 1. Daily Business Updates (for Android users) The Zoho Subscriptions Android app has got a cool new update: You can now get a push notification to your smartphone that lets you know how many activations and cancellations have taken place, and what's the net revenue for the previous day. The best part is, you can tell the app when exactly youCommunity Learning Series | Digest #3 - July 2020
Dear customers, We hope you're staying safe and healthy. We're glad to bring you the July edition of our #CommunityDigest. New community members can view our previous newsletters here. This time, we have two major updates and three interesting topics for you: 1. Zoho Subscriptions Developer Community Since the inception of Zoho Subscriptions, our team believed that the recurring billing platform we provide should be able to offer an extensive API library that empowers businesses to automate mostIntroducing: Community Learning Series | Digest #1 - May 2020
Dear customers, We hope you are staying safe and healthy. Helping businesses manage their customer subscriptions more efficiently has always been, and always will be, our goal at Zoho Subscriptions. We strongly believe this is possible if we grow together as a community and share what we know with each other. To nurture this shared learning experience, here is our brand-new Community Learning Series! Welcome to the first edition of our digest! Each edition of our community digest includes guides
Recent Topics
Print checks for owner's draw
Hi. Can I use Zoho check printing for draws to Owner's Equity? This may be a specific case of the missing Pay expenses via Check feature. If it's not available, are there plans to add this feature?Introducing Profile Summary: Faster Candidate Insights with Zia
We’re excited to launch Profile Summary, a powerful new feature in Zoho Recruit that transforms how you review candidate profiles. What used to take minutes of resume scanning can now be assessed in seconds—thanks to Zia. A Quick Example Say you’re hiring[New Release 2024] Create and embed custom capabilities across CRM with Kiosk Studio, our latest no-code tool
[Update | New series] We've started publishing a series of posts on Kiosk Studio. It's called Kiosk Studio Sessions and you can check out the first one here! [Update | 15 Oct} Session #2 is live! This one will look at how to create a kiosk for your callRevenue Management: #10 Common Mistakes while Recognizing Revenue
We are at the end of the series on Revenue Management, covering how different businesses recognise revenue. Even with clear standards like ASC 606 and IFRS 15 in practice, businesses often struggle with the nuances of revenue recognition. Especially growingZoho Projects MCP Feedback
I've started using the MCP connector with Zoho Projects, and the features that exist really do work quite well - I feel this is going to be a major update to the Zoho Ecosystem. In projects a major missing feature is the ability to manage, (especiallyWindows Desktop App - request to add minimization/startup options
Support Team, Can you submit the following request to your development team? Here is what would be optimal in my opinion from UX perspective: 1) In the "Application Menu", add a menu item to Exit the app, as well as an alt-key shortcut for these menusintegarting attachments from crm to creator
when i tried to integrate pdf attachments from crm to creator via deluge i am getting this error {"code":2945,"description":"UPLOAD_RULE_NOT_CONFIGURED"} the code i used is attachments = zoho.crm.getRelatedRecords("Attachments","Sales_Orders",203489100020279XXX8);Product details removed during update from other system
We maintain our product details in an other system. These details are synchronized with Zoho at the end of each day, through an API. This has worked perfectly sofar. But last Monday, all product codes and some other product data have been wiped duringSearch Option
🚫 Current Limitation: As of now (September 2025), Zoho FSM lacks a global search functionality, which makes it difficult to quickly: Find specific Work Orders by number or keyword Search for customer records or contact info Locate assets, jobs, or serviceMobile Chat Window - Full Screen
Hello, The mobile chat window takes up the full screen, which is highly confusing for most customers! Using a desktop machine, I see the same happens when reducing the browser width to 800px or below. This suggests that it responsive web design, causing the switch to full screen. Can we fix this very annoying behaviour ourselves using a custom css file? If so, can you please let me know how? ThanksIs it possible to customize ZC Themes?
I understand you can choose a layout and customize Brand Color, App Header, Menu, and Sub-Menu components, but can you override some of the default theme settings with CSS or a config file? For example, - Table highlight color - Listview auto filter highlightIs it possible to create Custom function-based Lookup field in Zoho CRM
Is it possible to create a custom function-based lookup field in Zoho CRM? If so, how? Use case: Need to fetch users from Zoho Projects into a dropdown field in Zoho CRM.@mention in comments no notification
Hi, hope someone can help. When we @mention someone in the comments in Zoho Creator, how is that user notifed as we don't get anything on email or in the app notifications.Add "Running Balance" column to Account Transaction Reports
Hello, Currently Zoho Account Transaction Reports give you the opening balance, then lists the transactions, then provides the closing balance. It would be great if you could add a column on the far right that shows the "Running Balance" on the account after each transaction. There are many times when analyzing or tie-ing out transactions that this would be very helpful. I currently have to frequently run a tape on my adding machine to get balance totals after a specific transaction on the list.Unified customer portal login
As I'm a Zoho One subscriber I can provide my customers with portal access to many of the Zoho apps. However, the customer must have a separate login for each app, which may be difficult for them to manage and frustrating as all they understand is thatWhatsApp Channels in Zoho Campaigns
Now that Meta has opened WhatsApp Channels globally, will you add it to Zoho Campaigns? It's another top channel for marketing communications as email and SMS. Thanks.error : Object code : 6500
b3 = map(); b3.put("name", "Test Project Name"); updateprojects2 = invokeurl [ url :"https://projectsapi.zoho.eu/restapi/portal/era0130/projects/169495000000928007/" type :PUT parameters: b3 connection:"in2" ]; info b3 ; info updateprojects2; ------------I got unknown charge from Zoho
Good day, I need help disputing a charge I don't know from, zoho. I have ZohoMail and ZeptoMail. I purchase credits for ZeptoMail, and for ZohoMail I am not subcribed.How can I see content of system generated mails from zBooks?
System generated mails for offers or invices appear in the mail tab of the designated customer. How can I view the content? It also doesn't appear in zMail sent folder.Zadarma + Zoho CRM Integration – Missed Calls Saved as Contacts Instead of Leads
Hello everyone, I’m looking for input from anyone with experience using the Zadarma + Zoho CRM integration. Currently, I’m seeing that missed calls are automatically being created as Contacts instead of Leads. From a CRM perspective, this doesn’t makeFunction 56: Automatically enable the option for customers to pay via bank account
Hello everyone and welcome back to our series! One of the key features of Zoho Books is its integration with multiple payment gateways, allowing you to receive online payments for your invoices. This ensures faster payments, automates payment trackingAttach Files to Your Notecards and share them on the go!
Hey everyone! We’re excited to share a feature many of you have been asking for — you can now attach files directly to your text notecards and share with ease! 🙌 This update was built with your feedback in mind, especially for those who wanted a simpleCan i connect 2 instagram accounts to 1 brand?
Can i connect 2 instagram accounts to 1 brand? Or Do i need to create 2 brands for that? also under what subscription package will this apply?Workdrive on Android - Gallery Photo Backups
Hello, Is there any way of backing up the photos on my android phone directly to a specific folder on Workdrive? Assuming i have the workdrive app installed on the phone in question. EmmaIntegración Books para cumplir la ley Crea y Crece y Ley Antifraude (VeriFactu)
Hola: En principio, en julio de 2025, entra en vigor la ley Crea y Crece y Ley Antifraude (VeriFactu). ¿Sabéis si Zoho va a cumplir con la ley para cumplir con la facturación electrónica conectada a Hacienda? GraciasYouTube Live #1: AI-powered agreement management with Zia and Zoho Sign
Hi there! We're excited to announce Zoho Sign’s first YouTube live series, where you can catch the latest updates and interact with our Zoho Sign experts, pose questions, and discover lesser-known features. We're starting off by riding the AI wave inHow to add a % Growth column for year-over-year comparison (2024 vs 2025)
Hello, I am trying to build a monthly revenue comparison between 2024 and 2025 in Zoho CRM Analytics. My current setup is: Module: Deals (Affaires) Filter: Stage = Closed Won Date field: Closing Date Grouping: By Month Metrics: Sum of Amount for 2024,How to searchByCriteria records that are under approval?
I need to search for both approved and pending approval records Is that possible with this method? Or I need to a different method? var priceReqID = $Page.record_id; log(priceReqID); var records = ZDK.Apps.CRM.Price_List_Item.searchByCriteria("Price_Request:equals:"Power of Automation::Streamline log hours to work hours upon task completion.
Hello Everyone, A Custom Function is a user-written set of code to achieve a specific requirement. Set the required conditions needed as to when to trigger using the Workflow rules (be it Tasks / Project) and associate the custom function to it. Requirement:-How to add Simple Analytics to Zoho Pages?
I have a website with Zoho Pages, how do I add Simple Analytics on it? They seem to have code they need to be embedded https://docs.simpleanalytics.com/scriptEnd Date in Zoho Bookings
When I give my appointments a 30 minutes time I would expect the software not to even show the End Time. But it actually makes the user pick an End Time. Did I just miss a setting?Cant seem to delete an email account
Hello, I have researching for 4 days how to delete an email account and I am absolutely without a clue. The email account I am trying to delete is support<AT>fyshoes<dot>com. It's the first email account I made and it (is???) was associated with the super user (me). I have since changed it to adming<AT>fychoes<dot>com and I see the support email in my list but I just cant seem to get rid of it. Ultimately I want to associate that email account with another user that I want to add. This is reallyCommerce Order as Invoice instead of Sales Order?
I need a purchase made on my Commerce Site to result in an Invoice for services instead of a Sales Order that will be pushed to Books. My customers don't pay until I after I add some details to their transaction. Can I change the settings to make thisImport data into Multi-Select lookup field from CSV/Excel
How to import data into a multi-select lookup field from the CSV/Excel Sheet? Let's say I have an Accounts multi-select lookup field in the Deals module and I want to import the Deals with Accounts field. Steps:- 1. Create/edit a multi-select lookup fieldSync desktop folders instantly with WorkDrive TrueSync (Beta)
Keeping your important files backed up and accessible has never been easier! With WorkDrive desktop app (TrueSync), you can now automatically sync specific desktop folders to WorkDrive Web, ensuring seamless, real-time updates across devices. Important:Script that deletes a record?
We're using WP Plugin "Integration for WooCommerce and Zoho Pro", and have created a couple of Feeds to send data to Zoho. We are trying to create Contact records, but only based upon condition. Tried to make it with small Deluge function and Workflow,A formula that capitalises the first letter of each word
Hi all, is there a zoho formula that can capitalise the first letter of each word in a string? INITCAP only capitalises the first letter of the first word.Reverse payment on accidentally closed invoice.
An invoice was closed accidentally with the full payment added. However, only partial payment was paid. How can I reopen the invoice and reverse this to update it to show partial payment?Quotes in Commerce?
In Zoho Ecommerce, I need to be able to generate quotes, negotiate with customers, and then generate invoices. Currently, I plan to integrate Zoho CRM to generate quotes. After negotiation and confirmation, I will push the details to Zoho Ecommerce toZoho Commerce - Mobile Application
Does Zoho Commerce have a mobile application for customers to place an order?Next Page