This week’s Media Briefing appears at The Related Press’ take care of Microsoft to hitch its pay-per-use AI content material market, because the tech firm seeks to strengthen relationships with media firms and compete with Google.
Related Press (AP) has joined Microsoft’s fledgling AI content material market, turning into the newest media firm — after Individuals Inc. and USA At this time Co.— to verify a licensing take care of the tech large.
The information company has revealed it’s a associate of the pay-per-use content material market, having signed a deal final week, Kristin Heitmann, international chief income officer of Related Press, advised Digiday.
“We expect it’s actually necessary that organizations of all shapes and sizes are paying for premium content material,” she mentioned. Publishers have mentioned that it’s very early days within the content material market. Individuals Inc.’s chief innovation officer Jon Roberts mentioned that the corporate is trying ahead to working intently with Microsoft to assist construct it “from the bottom flooring.”
Heitmann echoed that sentiment. She mentioned Microsoft has been clear that it desires writer enter to develop {the marketplace}. “I might characterize it as very early days and experimental. However we would like a seat at that desk. We would like to have the ability to enter and object when we have to object by way of each representing the AP but additionally representing our broader buyer base in these conversations — that’s actually necessary for us,” she mentioned.
Every time there’s a framework that protects mental property and ensures truthful worth, AP desires to be a part of it, she confused. “Microsoft’s writer content material market checks each of these bins. It’s nonetheless experimental, however we’re glad to be concerned in shaping the way it develops,” added Heitmann.
AP struck its first licensing take care of OpenAI in 2023 and signed an settlement with Google to license AP content material to Gemini initially of 2025.
Microsoft’s transfer to create an AI market is a optimistic sign usually to the market that it respects copyright regulation and desires to pay for IP it doesn’t personal, confused Jason Kint, CEO of writer commerce group Digital Content material Subsequent. “Even the a la carte mannequin of shopping for piecemeal based mostly on what folks need is the sort of experimenting with the brand new market that’s wholesome. And reveals that there’s precise bargaining occurring between each side,” he mentioned.
Whether or not it really works or is the suitable mannequin is but to be decided. However publishers are taking it as a welcome sign of intent for a way Microsoft plans to pursue its personal AI licensing journey.
“The sign was Microsoft simply acknowledging that publishers need to be paid. For those who don’t settle for that there are centuries of copyright regulation and guidelines that defend that mental property. And as an alternative go along with like, steal the content material, make an apology later, then you definately’re by no means going to get to the place of experimenting round a wholesome market,” added Kint.
Naturally, Microsoft’s motives are unlikely to be altruistic. Many market observers and publishers consider it doesn’t need to be left within the chilly, having already misplaced out to Google within the search market. It received’t need to make that very same mistake.
Microsoft has acknowledged that conventional search — successfully the world’s largest software program market — is powered by promoting, making sturdy ties with media firms important, famous Brian Wieser, CEO and principal at Madison and Wall. As AI merchandise more and more depend upon high-quality content material to gas massive language fashions (LLMs) and associated instruments, these writer relationships have develop into much more strategically beneficial, he confused. “The primary factor is that they [Microsoft] see a chance to re-establish themselves as a dominant, if not the dominant, software program firm. They’re sparing no effort there,” mentioned Weiser.
“Then you might have keen companions [publishers] who acknowledge they could have some leverage within the negotiations and the mixture of these elements creates alternative,” he added.
Publishers are open to experimenting with AI licensing, however provided that their IP and model integrity are safeguarded. Take Individuals Inc.’s “Sexiest Man Alive” franchise and “The Intern”, a preferred scripted social media collection launched by Individuals Inc.’s InStyle journal — each of which have been large enough offers to be referenced by Individuals Inc. CEO Neil Vogel as “big hits” amongst younger audiences, throughout mum or dad IAC’s earnings name on Nov. 4. “We’re pivoting our sources to the place the audiences are, and also you’re going to see rather more from us right here,” mentioned Vogel.
Think about a state of affairs the place a writer like Individuals Inc. desires to create an AI-driven extension of its “Sexiest Man Alive” franchise, famous Wieser. Defending that model and its underlying IP could be important — they wouldn’t need AI fashions replicating or imitating it with out permission. “That’s the place a associate [like Microsoft] that’s keen to seek out methods to work with publishers, presumably not give away the financial institution but additionally acknowledge that publishers could also be reluctant to make offers until their issues are addressed, issues,” he mentioned. — Jessica Davies
What we’ve heard
“Now damages will probably be proved within the litigation, however we search to get well tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} and damages… The timing of our case was accelerated by our decide, which we view as a optimistic. So we now count on to spend about $4 million within the quarter and proceed to spend within the coming quarters after that.”
– Christopher P. Halpin, evp, CFO & COO of IAC, on the litigation prices Individuals Inc. has incurred within the ongoing Google advert tech antitrust trial, and its ROI expectations.
Numbers to know
20.3%: The year-over-year digital advert income development at The New York Instances, in response to its third quarter earnings.
$4 million: The quantity Individuals Inc. spent on Google litigation in Q3 2025 on litigation for the Google antitrust trial, and the quantity it would proceed to spend within the coming quarters.
2.9%: The year-over-year digital advert income development at USA At this time Co. (previously Gannett) in Q3.
$10,000: The day by day price of the safety element for Bari Weiss, CBS Information’ new editor-in-chief.
What we’ve lined
Individuals Inc. strikes Microsoft AI licensing deal
- Individuals Inc. (previously Dotdash Meredith) has struck an AI licensing take care of Microsoft to be a part of the tech large’s pay-per-usage AI content material market.
- Microsoft is working with a gaggle of main publishers to plug into its two-sided content material market to compensate publishers for his or her use of content material by AI firms and merchandise.
Get the small print on the deal right here.
Rating is out, visibility is in as publishers chip away at AI search optimization
- The AI search period is rewiring the aim from rating to visibility for publishers.
- Which means optimizing for citations, monitoring and deciphering assistant referrals, and clear feeds – structured knowledge to make it straightforward for LLMs to learn, not simply blue hyperlinks.
Learn concerning the AI optimization ways publishers are deploying right here.
How Attain plc is diversifying visitors sources amid zero-click risk
- The U.Ok. information group is trying to information aggregation platforms to diversify visitors sources amid the specter of a zero-click future – all whereas making more cash from Fb.
- Attain’s viewers technique is concentrated on selling authentic content material on channels like MSN, Apple Information and Yahoo (in addition to SmartNews and NewsBreak within the US).
Learn concerning the technique right here.
How Forbes is utilizing ChatGPT referral knowledge to create viewers cohorts
- AI platforms account for a single-digit proportion of Forbes’ month-to-month referral visitors – nowhere close to sufficient visitors to offset the 40% year-over-year search referral visitors decline Forbes has seen this 12 months.
- However Forbes has entry to knowledge associated to the AI referral visitors — such because the prompts that led to a Forbes article being cited in an AI reply — and is utilizing that data to create viewers cohorts of the folks coming to its website from AI platforms.
Learn extra right here.
AI slop myths, debunked
- Whether or not further AI instruments are seen as a breakthrough or simply one other slop manufacturing unit relies upon much less on the device itself and extra on how folks use it.
- This mythbuster appears at what’s dangerous, what’s hype – and what’s simply “meh.”
Learn extra right here.
What we’re studying
Gannett rebrands to USA At this time Co.
Gannett, which publishes greater than 200 native newspapers throughout 42 states, is taking over the identify of its flagship publication, following different massive media identify modifications like MS Now and Individuals Inc this 12 months, in response to The New York Instances.
Condé Nast merges Teen Vogue into Vogue
Teen Vogue’s web site will probably be absorbed by Vogue.com, and Teen Vogue’s prime editor Versha Sharma is leaving the corporate, The New York Instances reported.
A whole lot of hundreds of movies from information publishers have skilled AI fashions
YouTube movies from main information publishers like The New York Instances and Vox have been in video knowledge units utilized by AI fashions to construct merchandise, in response to an investigation by The Atlantic, reported on by Nieman Lab.
Enterprise Insider struggles to pivot away from Website positioning
Regardless of Enterprise Insider asserting earlier this 12 months that it’s going to reduce its reliance on search visitors, the corporate continues to publish Website positioning-driven tales, A Media Operator studies.
Vox Media mentioned spinning out podcast community
Vox Media’s board mentioned presumably spinning out its podcast community and separating it from the publishing enterprise, Axios reported.
