As we enter this new year, the news and publishing landscape is poised for transformation. From new mergers and acquisitions to the evolving behaviours of younger news consumers, the industry faces challenges and opportunities that demand strategic foresight and innovative thinking. Our team has reflected on the trends that are shaping the industry and here's what they predict for the year ahead:
Joanna Levesque, Managing Director
Expect more Merger and Acquisition activity to happen in 2025 across publishing, broadcast and even information services. The slight uptick in deals at the end of Q3 (103) versus the previous quarter and a spate of high-profile discussions in the UK (The Observer, TMG) indicate a continued interest in titles with engaged audiences. More widely, broadcasters are expected to divest less profitable areas of their portfolios to be more sustainable as they continue to fight for their lives against an increasingly fragmented audience attracted by streaming platforms. Further still, interest in B2B data providers and platforms continues apace sustained by the wider PE / VC market. Smart publishers will consider how their portfolios and archives might support these types of services and platforms. Law firm Allen and Overy carved out its data services division last year and partnered with Inflexion and Endicott Capital. Whilst PE and publishing are less natural bedfellows than philanthropy discussed below, the input of business and digital experience can bring a fundamental mindset shift to those attracting investment.
Aled John, Deputy Managing Director
While 2024 made clear generational differences in news consumption - that ‘young’, future audiences of news media display fundamentally different behaviours and needs to prior generations - 2025 will be the year when publishers attempt to bridge the gap. Perceptions of news journalism are evolving and the competitive field has inexorably changed. We expect publishers to try to evolve their offering set, build awareness with underserved audiences and meet them where they are – collectively placing bets for future monetisation opportunities. It will be years before they see returns on their investment.
George Adelman, Director
In 2025, I see philanthropic funding playing an increasingly critical role in the news media industry, especially in relation to investigative reporting, specialist verticals (e.g. health, legal, politics and the environment), public-interest journalism, and serving under-represented communities. The media funders who will see the most meaningful impact though, will be those that prioritise financial sustainability and capacity building within the industry, particularly in terms of audience engagement, monetisation, operations, product and technology. On the subject of tech, I anticipate a growing emphasis on funding not only AI-driven initiatives but also digital-native and start-up ventures aimed at addressing mis-and disinformation to enhance news quality at the national/international level, as well as tackling "news deserts" to improve news access at regional and local levels. Media funders who prioritise long-term viability over short-term fixes and avoid direct editorial interventions will be rewarded with a more resilient and effective network of media grantees, ultimately fostering a more informed, engaged public and stronger communities.
Lisa MacLeod, Director
Although this is hardly revelatory, my prediction for 2025 is that the big topic on everybody’s mind is going to be traffic. There is a perfect storm emerging around traffic to news sites, fuelled by a number of converging factors. One is the broad rollout of AI in search engines - and search in AI engines. The rollout of AI Overviews to more than 100 countries will have a definitive effect by disintermediating search traffic to websites usually reliant on a straight search result click-through. Although hard news is currently excluded, the expectation is that search for news publishers will soon be deeply affected by the changes. On the flip side, Open AI is including news results in their newly launched search applications on ChatGPT, replete with accreditation for the news outlets cited in the summaries. The question for publishers is how to get into the search results: and with training and display deals extending to only a lucky few publishers to date, the future is uncertain for most.
Between this threat to traffic and the increasingly hostile attitude from Meta to news publishers, it seems there is no better time to focus on organic and direct traffic, and forging deep connections with users. I wrote about registration strategies for the journalism.co.uk predictions here.
Adriana Whiteley, Director
News organisations have started seriously considering how AI can help them gather news, repurpose content and support journalists' work. In 2025, B2B publishers, often an agglomeration of adjacent titles, will use AI to leverage archive value. As content becomes “liquid,” it enables new data services and creates opportunities for new propositions that redefine how content is segmented, displayed, packaged, and priced.
Sabrina Daryanani, Principal and Head of APAC
Focusing on sustainability remains an important topic for publishers. The growing demand for news from emerging markets will push organisations to diversify their language offerings and regional reporting including a resurgence in hyper-local journalism catering to specific communities. As advertising revenue continues to decline, new revenue streams including reader revenue models will likely continue to be explored in new regions alongside adapting formats and technology to meet current and future audience needs.
George Montagu, Head of Insights
In 2025, ancillary revenue streams in the news media industry will face significant disruption. High-margin activities—such as events, affiliate programs, syndication, and consulting—have been a crucial lifeline in recent years, contributing disproportionately to profitability despite representing just 15% of overall revenue.
However, some of these streams are experiencing major headwinds. Events are becoming increasingly expensive to run, with declining audiences except for premium brands. Affiliate models, a recent success story for some large digital media companies, are under pressure as search algorithms deprioritise such content, threatening their viability overnight.
That has left news media organisations asking the question: where next for ancillary revenues? One promising (albeit complex) avenue may lie in AI licensing, as organisations explore how to monetise their data and intellectual property in new ways.
Our newly formed Data & Insights practice is monitoring these shifts closely, aggregating trends across hundreds of organisations to identify emerging opportunities. Stay tuned for deeper analysis on the future of revenue diversification in media.
Plan for success in 2025 with a complimentary discovery call. Let’s discuss your challenges and explore opportunities to help you achieve your goals. Whatever your growth ambitions are for this year, FT Strategies can help you move forward, faster.
