3:53 am - September 16, 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…
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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…
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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…
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New interface offers smarter search, content discovery and real-time alerts. The Associated Press has launched AP Newsroom, a new AI-powered content platform designed to improve how users access and engage with its visual, audio and text-based news coverage. The platform features a redesigned interface and upgraded tools to streamline content discovery and retrieval. Key among them are AI-driven search and recommendation functions, aimed at helping media professionals respond faster to breaking news and uncover new angles for reporting. “The all-new AP Newsroom is a truly user-centric platform that provides seamless access to AP’s rich portfolio of all-formats journalism,” said Kristin…
Newsrooms urged to move beyond experiments and integrate AI into core strategy. Artificial intelligence is no longer optional for newsrooms – it’s existential. That was the message from Ezra Eeman, WAN-IFRA’s AI expert and director of strategy and innovation at Dutch public broadcaster NPO, during a recent industry webinar focused on the future of journalism. Eeman led a wide-ranging discussion on how publishers are responding to the rapid evolution of AI and the strategic shifts required to stay relevant. He shared insights from a January study tour to San Francisco, where media executives met with OpenAI and other startups to…
News publishers warn outdated laws and AI misuse are threatening the future of the press. Media leaders have called on the Irish Government to fast-track long-promised defamation reforms, warning that current laws are among the toughest in the world and are stifling journalism. NewsBrands Ireland urged swift passage of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill, which the Irish government had committed to introducing in the first quarter of 2025. Delays have raised alarm among publishers, who say the existing system imposes excessive legal and financial risks on newsrooms. “We need to create an environment where journalism can thrive, not one where it…
South African publisher recognised for election coverage, creative formats and bold subscriber strategy Daily Maverick has won three honours at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Africa 2025, recognising its work in reader engagement, digital innovation and subscription growth. The publication’s Elections ’24 newsletter was named Best Newsletter. Designed to inform South Africans in the run-up to the 2024 national elections, the listicle-style format offered quick summaries and encouraged readers to submit questions, which were answered in later editions. It recorded an open rate of 78.4% and saw subscriber numbers grow nearly fivefold—making it the most successful newsletter in the publisher’s…
News outlets call for regulation to stop tech firms using journalism without permission. A coalition of major US news organisations has launched a campaign demanding tighter regulation of how artificial intelligence companies use journalistic content. The campaign, called Support Responsible AI, is coordinated by the News/Media Alliance and backed by publishers including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Vox Media, the Atlantic, Politico, Wired and the Seattle Times. It aims to stop what the group describes as the unauthorised and uncompensated use of copyrighted material to train AI systems. The campaign includes a series of stark print and digital…
Charles Darwin University research shows AI-written news is more uniform, less creative New research from Charles Darwin University has found clear stylistic differences between journalism written by humans and by artificial intelligence, suggesting that while AI-generated news is readable, it lacks the creative variation that characterises human reporting. The study, led by Van Hieu Tran as part of a Master’s degree in Information Technology, analysed 150 articles from outlets including the New York Times, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian. The team used Google’s Gemini chatbot to produce AI-generated versions of the same stories, then compared the outputs for…
Media companies and authors challenge AI training practices in landmark legal clash. Twelve copyright lawsuits filed against OpenAI and Microsoft have been consolidated into a single case in the Southern District of New York, in what is set to become a defining legal battle over intellectual property rights and the use of journalistic and literary content to train artificial intelligence models. The cases, brought by major media players including the New York Times, the New York Daily News and seven other titles owned by Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing, have been merged alongside class actions filed by…
Move adds to growing portfolio as company bets on innovation and direct audience engagement. Redbrick has acquired digital outlets Quartz and The Inventory from G/O Media, marking its fifth major media investment as it expands its presence in the digital publishing space. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The move is part of a broader strategy to adapt to shifting consumer behaviour and technological change, particularly the growing role of AI in media. “As the media landscape continues to shift, the only way to survive and thrive is by embracing the advancements in innovation to connect and engage…
Complaint to competition regulator argues aggregators are diluting visibility and value of news brands. The BBC has lodged a formal complaint with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), accusing news aggregators such as Apple News and Google News of undermining the visibility and value of its journalism. In its submission, the broadcaster said audiences often consume BBC content through these platforms without attributing it to the BBC itself. That, it argued, weakens the public perception of its work and threatens the funding model built around the licence fee. “If audiences value our journalism but don’t associate it with the…
Courts are setting new boundaries for AI copyright, while creators unite against unauthorised use of their works, signalling a shift towards greater protection and accountability in AI development. What happenend? Courts are establishing boundaries for AI copyright: Multiple federal court rulings have allowed copyright lawsuits against AI companies to proceed, including The New York Times’s case against OpenAI and Microsoft. At the same time, courts have ruled that AI-generated content without meaningful human input cannot be copyrighted, preserving public domain status for purely AI-created works. Creative industries are mobilising against unauthorised AI training: Global creators – from authors to musicians to…
