This week’s Media Briefing appears to be like on the new MVP within the room within the AI period. Publishers are hiring execs for the function of the AI negotiator, tasked with working with tech firms and platforms to strike offers and reshape publishers’ companies.
Within the age of AI, publishers are hiring for survival
In publishing, existential threats are inclined to create job titles.
When Fb was the longer term, “platform wranglers” emerged to make sense of the information feed. Programmatic ushered within the period of yield specialists and information analysts. The subscription gold rush introduced paywall architects and retention gurus.
Now, it’s AI’s flip.
As tech corporations scrape with one hand and wave licensing checks with the opposite, publishers are drafting a brand new function: the AI negotiator. Half diplomat, half dealmaker, this particular person sits on the awkward intersection of authorized threat, platform energy and the worth of content material.
“Having somebody who can have area experience and perceive this house is tremendous useful,” mentioned an exec at a big information writer, who exchanged anonymity for candor.
It’s tough to seek out the fitting particular person to supervise a mission that touches product, editorial, advert gross sales and authorized — however having the fitting exec be the go-to particular person to develop a publishers’ enterprise in 2025 and past is important, they mentioned.
Put merely, it’s a tricky remit — and one which’s pushing publishers to look outdoors the standard suspects.
Some are even turning to the very platforms they’ve spent years preserving at arm’s size. The final three months inform the story:
In Might, Gannett introduced in an Amazon alum as its vp of enterprise and distributed partnerships. Two months later, The New York Occasions employed its vp of strategic partnership from Google. Across the identical time, BBC Information tapped a former Meta exec to be its director of AI, innovation and development.
Others are going a special route: constructing the function from inside.
At The Washington Publish, Emily Echave was promoted in April to go of worldwide platform partnerships, a task that features managing the paper’s relationship with Amazon and its Alexa+ integration. Equally Forbes promoted svp of worldwide gross sales Kyle Vinansky final month to chief enterprise officer, overseeing a newly shaped “AI & Strategic Platforms Group.”
And that’s simply the beginning. In line with Matt Prohaska, CEO of Prohaska Consulting, writer demand for roles targeted on AI and platform partnerships has picked up in current months. He’s at the moment serving to place a CRO whose remit will embody touchdown the corporate’s first AI licensing deal.
“It’s very encouraging to begin to see the shift of expertise, shifting again from 5 tech firms [to publishers],” Prohaska mentioned. “Extra publishers are rallying to the trigger and recognizing they are often again on offense, not only for a fast cash seize… however truly creating actual, sustainable viewers, improvement and regrowth.”
Nevertheless they arrive, no matter their title, these execs are all grappling with the identical actuality: defend the enterprise from freely giving an excessive amount of, too early, for too little in return. With so many AI platforms attempting to strike offers, that stance is desk stakes for a lot of publishers. They want somebody on the desk who can parse the wonderful print, push again when wanted and acknowledge when strolling away is the higher transfer.
As a result of a lopsided deal doesn’t simply hit the quarter’s numbers — it will possibly quietly shift leverage for years to come back. And the stakes are always shifting. Not way back, these partnerships had been primarily about visitors. Right now, they’re extra about coaching information. The phrases — and the dangers — are in flux.
“In the event you take a look at the ten 12 months horizon — from 2015 when Google and Fb and their partnerships groups to now — there’s been waves of what these groups seemed like. We’re in a brand new one with AI,” mentioned the information writer. “There isn’t any extra visitors. Anybody who thinks there’s extra visitors, they’re delusional about it. The mission writ giant — of, how can we construction relationships with these firms within the context of litigation and zero-click [search] and the shift away from text-based communications — that’s all occurring on the identical time.”
That’s the opposite factor about these roles: success isn’t nearly touchdown higher phrases. It’s about redefining what the phrases must be within the first place.
“All AI firms should be taught to pay for the writer content material they prepare their fashions on,” mentioned the top of digital at a writer in Europe, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk to Digiday. “It’s not simply one thing that’s obtainable for normal use. We publish content material for customers to interact with it on our platforms and providers, we don’t produce uncooked materials for different firms to construct services — and it’s publishers which have the fitting to resolve whom we grant the fitting to make use of our content material and for what worth.”
In some ways, the rise of the AI negotiator is a mirrored image of that stance. It’s an indication that publishers, even when outgunned, are now not content material to play protection.
Not that there’s a lot of a alternative. AI is reshaping the trade at a pace few are ready for. From how publishers are structured to how they monetize, it’s forcing onerous questions on what these companies are literally constructed to do. Which is why the emergence of those AI negotiators — in all their varied guises — isn’t only a strategic transfer. It’s a response to an identification disaster in actual time.
“Publishers want this function as a result of more and more — as these LLMs or [AI] brokers are being designed and developed – you need to have the ability to…have an understanding of the function {that a} specific platform can play,” mentioned Samrat Sharma, PwC US & world advertising transformation chief. “Some have acknowledged the function of this ecosystem orchestration and partnerships, and have recognized that as a crucial enabler, which they at the moment don’t have.”
What we’ve heard
“Once you’re negotiating [a contract with a platform], it’s very tough to construct [a relationship]. When you signal it, then you can begin to… enter this subsequent section the place it’s like OK, nice, we acquired the like deal accomplished. How can we work collectively? It’s important to signal the deal first, form of like a prenup. You’re nonetheless getting married.”
– A head of partnerships at a writer on working with AI and tech platforms.
Mediavine joins the rising — albeit ‘lengthy shot’ — motion to control AI and defend writer content material
Within the newest spherical of publishers versus AI, Mediavine is moving into the ring.
On August 6, the advert administration platform despatched a letter to the U.S. Copyright Workplace urging it to create protections in opposition to AI methods scraping content material for coaching, in one other instance of media firms turning to regulators for assist amid the specter of AI on traffic-based advert income.
Mediavine has a community of over 17,000 content material creators and bloggers, and has seen a 25% drop in search visitors because the debut of Google’s AI Overviews, in accordance with its CEO and co-founder Eric Hochberger.
Admittedly, influencing AI coverage is an extended shot. However the purpose, for now, is to get the White Home’s consideration, he added.
Not least as a result of these efforts are going up in opposition to tech firms’ personal lobbying efforts to make publicly obtainable content material honest use, in accordance with Aaron Rubin, companion within the strategic transactions & licensing group at legislation agency Gunderson Dettmer. However the White Home’s current AI motion plan suggests a hands-off strategy to regulating AI.
The bind for publishers is acquainted: they’re caught between shrinking visitors and rising platform energy — with few apparent levers to drag.
“If [publishers are] not making a living, we’re not making a living,” he mentioned.
Talking of cash misplaced, Mediavine was among the many advert tech corporations IAB Tech Lab’s workshop final month, the place publishers and tech firms debated what — if something — may be accomplished.
“Mediavine is doing a multi-prong strategy in the case of advocating for our publishers,” Hochberger mentioned.
A type of prongs: a petition launched earlier this week (August 6) urging others within the trade to beat the drum with them. Hochberger is hoping all of Mediavine’s creators will signal it.
Media execs like Hochberger know these particular person efforts could look light-touch on their very own. However as a part of a broader wave — alongside copyright lawsuits from The New York Occasions, Ziff Davies and others — they might assist transfer the needle. Information Corp CEO Robert Thomson made that actual level on the corporate’s earnings name on Tuesday (August 5), noting the cumulative stress is what could in the end drive change.
“Is it honest that creators are having their works purloined?” he mentioned. “We are going to struggle to guard the mental property of our authors and journalists, and proceed to woo and to sue firms that violate essentially the most primary property rights.”
Danielle Coffey, CEO of writer commerce physique Information/Media Alliance, has additionally tried to place stress on Congress to control AI on a federal stage. However it’s unclear how efficient these efforts will likely be.
“Content material house owners are in search of both legislative options or courtroom victories in opposition to AI suppliers whom they assume are scraping their content material,” mentioned Gary Kibel, companion at legislation agency Davis+ Gilbert, which advises media and promoting purchasers. “Neither have been achieved in any materials manner to date.”
Numbers to know
18.7%: The New York Occasions’ 12 months over 12 months digital promoting income development in Q2, to $94.4 million.
$20 million: The quantity Amazon is paying The New York Occasions a 12 months in its AI licensing deal.
$100 million: The quantity Gannett is planning on saving from its value reducing measures.
100: The variety of jobs being minimize at podcast community Wondery by its father or mother firm Amazon.
What we’ve coated
Inside IAB Tech Lab’s assembly with publishers to confront the AI period
- IAB Tech Lab gathered collectively publishers and tech firms to get on the identical web page for the way to cope with generative AI.
- Digiday senior media reporter Sara Guaglione and government editor of reports Seb Joseph joined the Digiday Podcast to share what was mentioned and what could come of the confab.
Hearken to the most recent Digiday Podcast episode right here.
WTF is Mannequin Context Protocol (MCP) and why ought to publishers care?
- The agentic net is a imaginative and prescient of the web the place AI brokers make choices and carry out duties on behalf of customers.
- Sooner or later, publishers might have to determine the way to make their content material accessible to AI brokers, and rewrite their web sites for an agentic net. That’s the place MCP is available in.
Discover out extra about MCP and what it means for publishers right here.
Creators are ‘doubling’ their charges
- As manufacturers transfer sooner and spend extra on creator advertising, creators are gaining each the arrogance and the chance to boost their charges considerably — generally by one hundred pc.
- Manufacturers appear largely unconcerned in regards to the will increase as they ramp up their influencer advertising spend.
Learn extra right here.
Dotdash Meredith’s rebrand to Individuals Inc. formalizes a post-search media technique
- The rebrand reorients the corporate round its flagship publication, and is the beginning of a extra concerted effort to develop the writer’s core titles, mentioned CEO Neil Vogel.
- These 19 titles will get the funding, the safety, the long-term bets. The opposite 21 are now not within the development plan.
Learn the Q&A with Vogel right here.
Podcasts change into a strategic IP play for Hollywood expertise
- There’s a rising wave of movie or TV actors taking up a extra direct function within the manufacturing and possession of scripted, narrative podcasts.
- These podcasts are a strategic transfer towards proudly owning invaluable IP for these actors, one thing historically out of attain within the movie and TV industries.
Learn extra right here.
What we’re studying
Gannett indicators an AI content material licensing settlement with Perplexity
The corporate introduced its becoming a member of Perplexity’s writer program and licensing content material from USA Right now and its community of over 200 native publications to the AI-powered search engine.
New York Publish is increasing to California
The New York Publish is launching a California version of its tabloid early subsequent 12 months in each print and digital, The Publish reported. It’ll be based mostly in Los Angeles.
CPB shutting down
The Company for Public Broadcasting is winding down, after President Trump signed a legislation pulling virtually $1.1 billion in federal funds to broadcasters like NPR and PBS, Axios reported.
Reddit is essentially the most cited area in AI-generated solutions
New information exhibits Reddit was essentially the most cited area in AI instruments akin to ChatGPT, AI Overviews and Perplexity, and cited twice as usually as Wikipedia, Press Gazette reported.
The Washington Publish’s longtime truth checker on why he’s leaving
The Washington Publish’s Glenn Kessler explains on this Substack essay that he’s leaving after almost three a long time on the information org as a result of lack of a transparent technique from management amid declining readership.
