ChatGPT traffic referrals analysed | AI companies showing 'callous disregard' for copyright law
And we have an interview with 5 News editor Debbie Ramsay following a strong year for the programme
Good morning and welcome to your daily Press Gazette media briefing on Friday 21 February.
Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford was moderating a panel at the TravMedia Summit in London on Monday and came back to the office quite moved by the keynote speech given by Graham Lovelace - who has now distilled its essence into a powerful comment piece for us.
Graham makes a very clear argument about copyright law and generative AI, saying it is already clear but needs to be enforced in the face of “callous disregard” from the big tech companies. I am particularly struck by his comparison between copyright deniers and climate deniers.
Luckily for us in the UK there is a very clear call to action: to take part in the Government consultation on AI - which he says is based on a false premise - before it closes next Tuesday. We have to make these points before it’s too late.
This ties in nicely to some new analysis we’ve done using Similarweb data showing traffic referrals from ChatGPT and Perplexity. Although traffic to a selection of major news websites from ChatGPT has increased a lot in the past six months, it’s still negligible.
Will the resultant ad revenue from that traffic be enough to compensate for all the other people who no longer feel the need to click through to the original creator of the content? Watch this space.
And finally, 5 News goes under the radar a lot when compared to the UK’s other broadcast news programmes. Some of that is because of snobbery, says editor Debbie Ramsay. But it had a great 2024 on linear (against all odds!) and it’s still relatively early in its digital journey so there’s plenty of room to grow there.
Check out our full interview with Debbie here.
On Press Gazette
ChatGPT referrals to top publishers up eight times in six months but still negligible
Among the sites analysed, the New York Post and Forbes saw the most traffic from AI platforms.
‘Callous disregard’ of copyright by gen AI companies ruins the magic
Copyright law in the UK is "absolutely clear" but needs to be enforced, Graham Lovelace argues.
5 News editor: There is ‘snobbery’ about us but the figures speak for themselves
How 5 News grew in 2024 and why, despite demographic overlap, GB News isn't a competitor.
News in brief
Harold Wilson's press secretary Joe Haines, a former Sun and Mirror journalist, has died at 97. (Press Gazette)
British journalist Charlotte Peet, 32, has been reported missing in Brazil having last been heard from on 8 February. (Standard)
The BBC says it has been forced to close its office in Azerbaijan and "suspend the activities of our excellent journalists in Baku" in what it described as a "restrictive move against press freedom". It will continue to produce news in Azerbaijani. (BBC)
OpenAI says it has reached 400 million weekly active users, up 33% in under three months. (CNBC)
A UK Parliament Women and Equalities Committee report on 'The rights of older people' says the omission of older people from the discrimination clause in the Editors' Code contributes to a "widely held perception that ageism is taken less seriously than other forms..." (Parliament)
Spriha Srivastava, Business Insider's international executive editor and UK bureau chief, is leaving the title after five years to become VP and executive editor of digital for international at CNBC. Editor in chief Jamie Heller said Srivastava "has made an indelible impact on Business Insider". She will be succeeded "in the interim" by Jack Sommers in London and Lina Batarags in Singapore.
Newsweek has promoted its head of advertising sales Danielle Varvaro to chief revenue officer. Varvaro previously led global sales at Group Nine Media and Vice Media, and "played a key role in driving ad revenue" at the now-shuttered The Messenger. (Globe Newswire)
Axel Springer CEO Mathias Dopfner says he hopes the Trump administration’s commitment to free speech will “also be upheld for journalism that you don’t like" amid row over Politico subscriptions in government. (Financial Times)
Researchers at Cambridge University's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy have published a report urging the UK government to implement transparency requirements for AI companies and to exercise "caution" on copyright exemptions for AI scraping. (MCTD)
Hearst is buying the Austin American-Statesman from Gannett, whose CEO said it is "a strategic decision that will complement the Hearst brand while positioning Gannett and the USA TODAY Network of more than 200 local publications for future growth". (Business Wire)
The State Department reportedly told procurement teams at its embassies and consulates this week to cancel “non-mission critical” news subscriptions, in particular those to The Economist, The New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, the AP and Reuters. (Washington Post)
The Associated Press is launching a Local Investigative Reporting Program which will work with US state and local outlets and provide training in areas like open source investigative techniques and AI. (AP)
A journalists' union in Italy is taking legal action over the surveillance of at least one investigative journalist. (IFJ)
Hearst UK has launched memberships for Runner's World, following in the footsteps of its other brands Good Housekeeping, Elle, Women's Health and Men's Health. It gives access to the app including training plans and magazine digital editions, with other perks in three tiers.
Also on Press Gazette:
How Bauer UK unlocked digital growth through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing
Gallery Media Group has built $50m a year social-first publishing business
Magazine ABCs 2024: Half of print titles see distribution drop 10% or more
ABCs: 55% of digital magazine circulation comes from Spotify-style services
News and current affairs magazine ABCs 2024: Prospect digital growth offsets print decline
Women’s interest magazine ABCs: Four out of 60 titles see print growth in 2024
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London Centric founder Jim Waterson explains how his Substack-based title has already gained thousands of paying subscribers since launching in September 2024.