5 Reasons to Be Optimistic About the Media Industry

“We’re seeing brands investing in great partnerships with news organizations,” said Maggie Milnamow, Business Insider’s Chief Revenue Officer. “At Business Insider, we’ve closed more multimillion-dollar partnerships than ever before in our history.”

Adam White, CEO of Front Office Sports, shared a similar assessment.

“The continued positive return of the advertising market for media companies with actual and meaningful relationships with their audiences – as well as increased competition from advanced brands and creators – will hopefully drive innovation in the ecosystem,” White said.

Chaos is a ladder

Admittedly, this is more of a silver lining than a reason for optimism, but the point still stands.

The dynamism of the industry is an opportunity, both for challenger brands and for incumbents, to take risks, experiment and grow.

“It’s harder to grow market share in periods of stagnation,” said Neil Vogel, CEO of Dotdash Meredith. “The opportunity now is as good or better than it has ever been.”

Sara Badler, head of advertising at The Guardian US, said the same.

“While many news outlets are withdrawing, adding paywalls, or shrinking from their values, there is a real opportunity for lesser-known media organizations, driven by the mission to present themselves to the market in 2025,” said Badler. “Advertisers and marketers are looking for something new, different and off the beaten track, and it gives organizations like the US Guardian an opportunity to stand out and tell our story.”

AI simplifies drudge work

The advent of artificial intelligence is a mixed bag for publishers.

It threatens to undermine key parts of their business models, such as research and basic content creation, but it also promises to make work-critical daily tasks much simpler.

“AI workflows will become more central to processes and operations in the media business and allow organizations to operate on a larger scale without sacrificing the depth and breadth of their work,” he said Bonnie Kintzer, CEO of Trusted Media Brands.

Likewise, technology makes it dramatically simpler for companies with limited resources to greatly improve critical products, according to Outside CEO Robin Thurston.

“AI-driven tools are unlocking efficiencies in TV, film and gaming, empowering creative processes, and enabling hyper-personalized user experiences,” he said. “AI and data analytics enable more personalized content recommendations, enhancing the viewer experience.”

The blueprint for success exists

For all hands on the future of media, there are dozens of successful examples of publishers who sustainably serve their audiences.

True, fewer organizations could find this success given the economy of the internet, but those who do will be large, sophisticated, and more able to keep pace with their partners in the technology sector.

“We are a sustainable and thriving business that has been profitable for years,” said Politico CEO Goli Sheikholeslami. “There is success to be had in this industry, and those who differentiate themselves, provide valuable insight and respond to the unmet needs of their readers will find it.”

Puck co-founder Jon Kelly agrees.

“I’m really incredibly optimistic about the industry,” Kelly said. “There are more brands, of all sizes and flavors, in the space than ever before, and they are serving the increasingly specific demands of their audiences in unprecedented ways.”