4:54 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 partnership with Storied Media Group will licence journalism for screen adaptations. The Daily Mail has signed a deal with Storied Media Group to licence its journalism for adaptation into film, television and streaming content – its first formal move into the entertainment industry. The agreement, which also includes science title New Scientist, will give producers access to an archive of stories covering crime, health, sport, climate change and AI. No financial details have been disclosed. “This is a great opportunity to showcase the world-class journalism of the Daily Mail and New Scientist to a broader audience and expand our international…
Swiss publisher sees gains in Germany and from premium digital subscriptions. Swiss media company NZZ increased its adjusted operating profit by 11 percent in 2024, driven by growth in digital subscriptions and higher revenue per user, particularly in its German expansion market. Total revenue for the year was 248.3 million Swiss francs ($287 million), down 1 percent on the previous year, largely due to reduced performance billing linked to an IT separation from CH Media. But the company’s digital business continued to grow, offsetting some of the wider structural challenges in print. User-derived revenue rose 2 percent to 114.9 million…
In a speech at the Society of Editors Media Freedom conference, Mitali Mukherjee highlighted the growing disconnect between news publishers and audiences. Mitali Mukherjee, acting director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, has warned that the gap between news organisations and their audiences is widening, and said publishers must change not just their business models but the kind of journalism they produce if they want to survive. Speaking at the Society of Editors Media Freedom conference in London, Mukherjee said many people now feel alienated by the news. “The news, or the news industry, misses its…
Bulletin, which uses Google’s Gemini to summarise its journalism, hits one million views in a day The Independent’s new AI-driven news service, Bulletin, is outperforming traditional articles in reader engagement and has already surpassed one million views in a single day, according to UK editor Chloe Hubbard. Speaking at Advertising Week in London, Hubbard said the service – designed to produce five to ten bullet summaries of existing articles – had “washed its face” commercially. The tool uses Google’s Gemini AI technology and is currently hosted in the top navigation of The Independent’s website, with plans for a standalone…
YouTube football presenter Adam Clery named creative director as publisher expands into personality-led video. The Independent has launched a new production unit, Independent Studio, in a bid to grow its presence in the creator economy and develop original content formats for sponsorship and audience growth. The UK-based digital publisher has appointed YouTube presenter Adam Clery as creative director. Clery, known for his work in football media, will lead with content for his new YouTube channel ACFC, which gained more than 30,000 subscribers in its first week. He will work closely with The Independent’s in-house production and promotional teams to expand…
Pew study shows public attention to press conflicts has halved since 2017, even as engagement with political news grows Public awareness of Donald Trump’s clashes with the media has dropped sharply since his first term, according to new research from the Pew Research Center, despite a rise in political news engagement overall. Only 36% of Americans say they’ve heard “a lot” about the Trump administration’s interactions with the press, down from 72% in March 2017. The data comes from a survey of 5,123 adults conducted from 24 February to 2 March. The fall in awareness comes even as high-profile stories…
End of manual controls raises concerns over visibility and representation. Google has completed its shift to automatically generated publisher pages in Google News, ending a system that allowed news organisations to manually manage their presence on the platform. The change, finalised late last month, removes tools that let publishers customise how their content appeared, including the ability to create landing pages, set logos, adjust publication titles and control geographic distribution. Google first signalled the change in April 2024 and confirmed it in a February update: “All publication pages in Google News will be generated automatically. Google News will no longer…
News UK titles feel pressure of print decline but benefit from shift to subscriptions and cost-cutting. The latest financial results for The Times and The Sun show the pressures of declining print revenues but also signs of progress as both titles pivot toward digital. For the year ending 30 June 2024, News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, reported a 3% fall in revenue to £296.3 million and an operating loss of £18 million. The loss is nearly three-quarters lower than in previous years, helped by a sharp drop in legal costs related to phone-hacking claims. In January, NGN admitted…
Piers North, chief revenue officer, will succeed Mullen, who will join The Jockey Club as group chief executive. Jim Mullen has stepped down as chief executive of Reach with immediate effect after nearly six years in the role. He will be replaced by Piers North, the company’s chief revenue officer. Mullen will stay on briefly for a handover before starting a new job on 1 June as group chief executive of The Jockey Club. “I want to thank everyone at Reach for their hard work over these past nearly six years,” he said. “Together we have put the business in…
The partnership is aimed at enhancing the resilience of publishers in the evolving global media landscape. WAN-IFRA and FIPP, two of the most influential global media networks, have announced a new partnership to support publishers facing the pressures of digital transformation and shifting market conditions. The collaboration, unveiled last week, brings together more than 20,000 media brands and technology firms across 80 countries. It aims to offer a shared platform for knowledge exchange and best practice, with a focus on helping publishers improve commercial performance, editorial workflows and digital subscription strategies. Magazine and newspaper publishers – represented respectively by FIPP and…
