News Corp has extended the contract of its chief executive Robert Thomson to June 2030, backing his leadership through a decade of change that has seen the company’s share price rise 140%. Thomson, who has led the publisher since 2013, was previously contracted until 2027. His time in charge has been defined by a rapid shift from legacy businesses to digital operations. By the end of fiscal 2024, digital revenues accounted for half of News Corp’s total, up from just 20% in 2014. That transition has included vocal lobbying for publisher rights, partnerships with tech giants and a major divestment:…

Time Inc is positioning itself as a willing collaborator in the AI era, with CEO Jessica Sibley making the case for negotiation and integration over litigation or inertia. Speaking at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this week, Sibley outlined how the 102-year-old publisher is embedding AI across its operations to remain influential and efficient in a fast-changing industry. Sibley said Time had quickly recognised that it faced a choice: to negotiate, litigate or do nothing. It chose to negotiate, aiming to “have a seat at the table” with leading AI developers. That decision has shaped a strategy that…

The French digital platform had defied sceptics with a fully subscriber-funded approach. Mediapart, the French digital news platform founded in 2008, has proved the doubters wrong. Launched with a fully subscription-based model and no advertising, it now has 233,000 paying subscribers and nearly €25 million in annual revenue, 99% of it from readers. Speaking at the World News Media Congress in Krakow, CEO Cécile Sourd said the model was essential to the title’s mission. “To truly be editorially independent, we have to be 100% financially independent,” she said, explaining why Mediapart rejects not just advertising but also public subsidies and…

Advertisers are reallocating budgets from traditional audio ads and influencer marketing, while smaller creators gain a bigger share of podcast ad spend. Podcasting is cementing its position as one of the most attractive advertising channels for brands seeking younger, digitally engaged audiences. New research suggests that by the end of 2025, advertisers will increasingly prioritise podcasts – especially video-led formats – over traditional audio and even influencer marketing, drawn by high engagement, strong recall and growing perceptions of authenticity. A report released today by Sounds Profitable, produced in collaboration with Signal Hill Insights, surveyed more than 5,000 American adults to assess how…

The state proposes groundbreaking legislation to force tech giants like Google and Meta to financially support regional journalism. Oregon lawmakers are pushing ahead with legislation that would force Google and Meta to pay local news outlets for using their content, after a senior news executive warned that AI-powered search features are already undermining journalism. John Maher, president of The Oregonian and OregonLive, told a state Senate hearing he had searched online for one of his newsroom’s articles and was shown not just an AI-generated summary of the piece, but extracts from other sources commenting on it. “There was little reason…

BI is increasing its reliance on AI and will focus on events amid falling traffic. Business Insider is laying off around 21% of its staff as part of a major restructuring aimed at addressing sharp declines in web traffic and the growing impact of generative AI. The move, outlined in a memo from CEO Barbara Peng, comes just weeks after the publisher made headlines over its use of AI and union fears over the monitoring of employees. Peng told staff that while revenue per web visit has doubled over the past two years, 70% of Business Insider’s business remains heavily…

The move is in stark contrast to the legal battle it is fighting with OpenAI. The New York Times has signed a landmark licensing deal with Amazon that will allow the tech giant to use its journalism across a range of artificial intelligence products. The agreement covers content from the Times, NYT Cooking and The Athletic, and is the paper’s first major partnership involving generative AI. The deal comes as the Times is also pursuing a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of using millions of its articles without permission to train large language models. Taken together, the…

The strategic sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media and international growth highlight a significant shift in the publisher’s financial health amid wider sector changes. The Guardian has reported record revenue of £275 million for the 2024–25 financial year, as digital reader income and international expansion help cut its operating losses by a third. The figures mark a sharp improvement from the previous year, when the company brought in £257.8 million and posted a £37 million operating loss. That figure is now below £25 million. Growth was led by a surge in digital reader revenues, which rose more than 20…

The US investment group has reached an agreement to acquire The Telegraph overcoming previous governmental hurdles. US investment group RedBird Capital Partners has reached an agreement to acquire the Telegraph Media Group for £500 million, marking the end of a protracted saga marked by political opposition and scrutiny over foreign influence. The in-principle deal gives RedBird “sole control” of the publisher, which includes the Telegraph’s print and digital operations, while Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments (IMI) retains a minority stake in line with UK rules that cap foreign state ownership of newspapers at 15%. The agreement follows the collapse of…

The publisher is to launch Ouest-France TV in September 2025, aiming to engage underserved young adults aged 25 to 49 beyond Paris with locally focused video content. Ouest France will launch its own television channel in September 2025 as part of a wider effort to reach younger viewers and diversify its revenue base. The new service, provisionally called Ouest-France TV, will focus on locally produced video content aimed at 25 to 49-year-olds living outside major cities. Speaking at the World News Media Congress, CEO Fabrice Bakhouche said the initiative was a response to shifting media consumption habits. “Video is the…