3:58 pm - September 15, 2026
The New York Post and TMZ collaborate on a new daily video franchise called “The Lowdown”. The series features four one-minute segments combining journalism and entertainment reporting. Aims to expand digital reach and capitalise on fast-paced celebrity and headline news. The New York Post has entered into a new video…
Publishers must focus on proving value, trust, and usefulness in an AI-saturated landscape Transition from advertising reliance towards subscriptions and circulation income Emphasis on audience segmentation, relevance, and experiences to strengthen brand loyalty At the Indian Printers Summit 2026, organised by WAN-IFRA, speakers returned repeatedly to a single point: in…
21% of UK adults have used AI tools for news in the past year ChatGPT is the most widely used AI news source at 13% Trust in AI-generated news remains lower than human journalism One in five adults in the UK are now using AI tools such as ChatGPT to…
Reach announces strategic move towards digital subscriptions and original content Revenue drop highlights need for a new publishing approach Content strategy based on exclusivity, expertise, and emotive storytelling The surest catalyst for change in a news organisation is a crisis. When things are going well – or at least not too badly – there is always the temptation to defend what you have, rather than risk something new. At the World Cup, England showed how limiting a strategy that can be. But when your back is against the wall, you don’t have a choice – you have to do…
South China Morning Post revamps print and online platforms with a focus on analysis and visual appeal Introduction of AI tools enhances digital research and user experience Repositioning reflects long-term strategy of adaptation and globalisation in media The South China Morning Post (SCMP) has unveiled a redesign of both its print newspaper and digital platforms as it seeks to keep pace with changing reading habits and an increasingly AI-driven media environment. The revamp is aimed at making the title feel more useful to readers who want fast updates on screens and deeper context in print. Chow Chung Yan, the paper’s…
People Inc reports 11th straight quarter of digital revenue growth, driven by licensing and AI collaborations Company advocates for fair compensation from Google over search content use Transition towards less traffic-dependent revenue streams aims to power future growth and diversification People Inc said its digital business extended its run of growth in the second quarter of 2026, helped by higher licensing income, AI-related partnerships, events and social media products, even as core traffic remained under pressure from changes in search. The company reported its 11th straight quarter of digital revenue growth, with digital adjusted EBITDA rising 18% year on year…
Hearst acquires Disney’s half-share in A+E Global Media for $1.2 billion Move marks Disney’s strategic shift from linear television to streaming and sports A+E continues expansion under Hearst, strengthening international content reach and multiplatform growth Hearst has agreed to buy The Walt Disney Company’s half-share in A+E Global Media for about $1.2 billion in cash, giving the privately held media group full control of a television business that includes A&E, Lifetime and the History Channel, according to Reuters. The sale, announced this week, is expected to complete in September. Once the transaction closes, A+E Global Media will sit entirely within…
Byron Allen cuts 35% of BuzzFeed’s workforce to improve profitability Restructuring aims to shift focus towards streaming via Local Now Company plans significant cost savings and content realignment Byron Allen has begun a sharp overhaul of BuzzFeed, cutting about 180 jobs and contract roles across BuzzFeed, HuffPost and Tasty in what amounts to roughly 35% of the workforce. The reductions, disclosed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, are the first major restructuring since Allen’s family office took control of the digital publisher in May. BuzzFeed said the move is designed to simplify operations, lower costs and…
Prince Harry and six others failed to prove unlawful information gathering by Daily Mail Court rules claims of systemic phone hacking and bugging are unsubstantiated Verdict marks a major win for Associated Newspapers and shifts legal climate for press scrutiny Prince Harry and six other high-profile claimants have lost their…
Sky agrees to a £1.6 billion takeover of ITV’s media and entertainment division. The deal aims to create a stronger UK rival to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and YouTube. Completion is expected in the second half of 2027, subject to approval. Sky has agreed a £1.6 billion takeover of…
Associated Press plans new production hub in India to focus on video and photo content US-based visual journalism teams face layoffs as part of strategic realignment Union criticises outsourcing and warns of job losses in the US and globally The Associated Press is pressing ahead with plans to build a…
CMA insists on sale of Shutterstock’s editorial assets, leading Getty to withdraw from the deal Merger collapse highlights contrasting approaches to AI-driven content markets Getty faces financial pressure following the deal’s termination amid regulatory hurdles Getty Images is set to walk away from its $3.7 billion tie-up with Shutterstock after…
Top stories
Media Concierge Group posts £12.9m EBITDA for first full period post-acquisition Integration of National World (now Iconic Media Group) has gone smoothly, boosting performance Company aims to strengthen local titles while expanding its UK and Ireland publishing footprint Media Concierge Group has said the integration of National World has gone…
Economist launches Economist Play, a $15/month multimedia bundle combining videos, podcasts, and newsletters Strategy aims to reach a younger, gender-balanced audience with mobile-first content Emphasis on newsroom authenticity through faces and voices, moving away from anonymity The Economist has launched a lower-cost subscription bundle built around audio and video, in…
Data shows games and interactive content drive deeper user loyalty. Publishers are overestimating the importance of breaking news for app retention. Investment should focus on habit-forming features to reduce churn and build routines. I used to bristle when I worked at The Sunday Times and a friend said he had…
Der Spiegel refuses to let AI write or rewrite its articles, citing responsibility and trust. Industry faces tension between efficiency and accountability in adopting AI tools. Growing concerns over accuracy, transparency, and the future role of human journalists. Whether journalists should use artificial intelligence to write stories has become one…
Deep dive with
our insights
Getty Images strikes a multi-year licensing deal with OpenAI The partnership enhances ChatGPT’s image relevance and trustworthiness Shares rise as Getty aims to monetise its archive amid AI-driven disruption Getty Images has struck a multi-year licensing deal with OpenAI that will allow its pictures to appear in ChatGPT’s search and discovery results, in a move that could give the AI chatbot access to a more authoritative pool of visual material. The partnership is aimed at improving the quality and relevance of image-rich responses inside ChatGPT, while keeping the arrangement limited to display rather than model training. Getty said OpenAI will…
Forbes launches Forbes Creator to leverage social media personalities New platform combines journalistic content with creator autonomy Aims to expand reach, diversify content, and develop commercial opportunities Forbes is deepening its push into creator-led distribution, using social media personalities and specialist voices to widen its reach beyond its own platforms and draw in younger audiences who increasingly consume news and entertainment through creator feeds rather than legacy publisher channels. The initiative, called Forbes Creator, was unveiled this month as a social-first network built around video, podcasts and live experiences. Forbes says the project is intended to combine its journalistic brand…
All stories
Harvard University has opened up nearly one million digitised books for use in training artificial intelligence models – a move likely to be closely watched by publishers as they negotiate with or sue AI companies over access to copyrighted content. The dataset, unveiled through Harvard’s Institutional Data Initiative, includes around 394 million pages and an estimated 242 billion tokens, making it one of the largest public domain corpora available for AI research. The collection spans texts from the 15th century onwards, covering more than 250 languages, with a particular concentration of material from the 19th century. It marks the first…
A local newspaper in Ohio is turning to artificial intelligence to tackle one of the most common complaints from its readers – poor grammar and spelling. Cleveland.com, part of the Advance Local group, has introduced a new in-house tool called Editor’s Eyes, designed to help reporters catch mistakes before their stories go live. The system, built by Advance’s David Cohn, acts like an automated copy editor. Reporters paste their draft into a browser window and receive instant feedback on spelling, grammar and readability. The goal is not just to improve accuracy but also to give writers a chance to reflect…
The Washington Post is in talks with Substack about a potential collaboration that would allow it to broaden its opinion coverage by tapping into the newsletter platform’s network of independent writers. The move, confirmed by Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie in an interview with The Guardian, signals a notable shift in how legacy media views a platform it once regarded with suspicion. Substack, which enables writers to monetise their work directly through subscriptions, has grown rapidly in recent years and is now seen by some traditional publishers as a source of fresh talent and audience engagement. “There’s been a change in…
A new study commissioned by German media rights group Corint Media has reignited debate over how publishers should be compensated for their content in an era of AI-driven search. The report claims Google rightly owes German publishers €1.3 billion annually for using journalistic material in features like AI Overviews. At the centre of the dispute is Google’s use of AI-generated summaries in search results to answer queries directly on the page. Media organisations say this deprives them of referral traffic, undermining a key source of funding for journalism. The study (published in German), produced by consulting firm FehrAdvice & Partners,…
Alexis Tsipras moves closer to relaunching a Left-wing party with Publicis Groupe’s support as Greece prepares to introduce taxation on digital content creators. Concurrently, major investments by GEK TERNA and hospitality groups highlight sustained economic optimism in infrastructure and tourism. Report: Political Rebranding, Taxation on Digital Content Creators, and Investment Landscape in Greece This report analyses the principal themes outlined in a recent comprehensive article, focusing on Alexis Tsipras’s political manoeuvres, emerging taxation policies targeting online platforms like OnlyFans, and significant investment activities by major Greek companies and investment groups. The findings integrate and verify the primary content with related…
Taboola has launched a generative AI answer engine called DeeperDive that aims to help publishers compete with AI-powered search while giving users richer, more contextual responses to their questions. The technology is being adopted in the US by Gannett and the USA Today Network, and in the UK by The Independent. It is designed to work across Taboola’s network of 9,000 publishing partners, responding to user queries with answers drawn from the publisher’s own content and enriched with links to related stories. The goal, according to the company, is to encourage deeper engagement on publisher websites and reclaim ground lost…
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has launched a daily YouTube show, The Daily Blueprint, in what it calls a key part of its digital strategy ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections. The weekday broadcast, hosted by DNC deputy communications director Hannah Muldavin, is pitched as a way to counter misinformation, explain news headlines and offer viewers ways to support Democratic campaigns across the country. Ken Martin, chair of the DNC, said the launch marked an important evolution. “The launch of The Daily Blueprint is an exciting new step for the Democratic Party – it cements our commitment to meet…
Le Monde Group celebrated its 80th anniversary with record-breaking subscription figures that signal growing public appetite for trusted journalism. In an article published this week, the group’s CEO Louis Dreyfus and his fellow director Jérôme Fenoglio, highlighted that daily paid circulation is now the highest in its history, at above 530,000 copies, and well beyond the 1978 peak of 440,000 reached during a moment of intense political engagement in France. This growth has been driven by a clear focus on building digital subscriptions. Revenue from digital readers is now so substantial that it is expected to cover the full cost…
European media outlets are facing an intensifying battle against disinformation and foreign interference, threats that have grown increasingly sophisticated since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Speaking at WEXFO 2025, Paolo Cesarini, chair of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) executive board, warned that the continent’s democracies are under sustained hybrid assault. He cited a 2022 European Parliament report naming Russia and China as key sources of destabilising tactics, including disinformation, covert funding and espionage – all designed to weaken democratic institutions from within. Public concern over these threats is high. A Eurobarometer survey found that 81% of EU citizens…
Broadcasters in the UK are facing the same crisis of audience disengagement that has gripped the newspaper industry in recent years, as rising news fatigue prompts a sharp drop in interest, particularly among younger viewers. Data from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism shows public interest in news has fallen from 70% in 2015 to just 38% in 2024. It’s an indicator of how constant exposure to negative headlines is pushing people away from the very content media organisations rely on to maintain public engagement and trust. The trend is not just affecting audiences. “Sometimes I choose music…
