FT CEO: publishers have 'leverage' on AI | NMA lays out media law 'manifesto'
Plus 2024 PINF Index reveals tough times for independent UK publishers and the BBC lifts lid on its trove of podcast audience data
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As we go into week two of the UK general election campaign, news publishers have set out their policy priorities for the next government.
Everyone from The Guardian to The Sun agrees that publishers need to be protected from generative AI companies using their content without permission or payment.
The News Media Association is also seeking curbs on the spread of BBC online news to stop it from undermining commercial publishers, particularly in the local sector. You can see the NMA's full policy shopping list here. We will be updating this story with media manifesto commitments from the main political parties as they emerge.
Still on the subject of AI, Press Gazette UK editor Charlotte Tobitt is in Denmark this week reporting from the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress where FT chief executive John Ridding has explained why the FT licensed its content to train OpenAI's large language model.
The latest report from the Public Interest News Foundation, which acts for small independent news publishers in the UK, finds there has been a dramatic fall in readership and revenue for these outfits over the last year. The not-for-profit sector was particularly hard hit in 2023, a year which was a tough one business-wise for most UK and US news publishers.
And the BBC has shared data on the growth of the podcasting sector in the UK. It shows that podcast listenership continues to grow in the UK, both in terms of overall reach and frequency — but it also suggests there remains a big untapped market of Britons who have yet to explore the world of podcasts.
(Press Gazette, of course, also has a podcast nowadays, offering insights for media leaders on how to make news pay in the digital age. Our latest episode features an interview with DMG Media chief executive Rich Caccappolo.)
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New from Press Gazette
FT CEO: News orgs ‘have leverage and should insist on payment’ from AI companies
“As with the digital and mobile revolutions, pulling up the drawbridge or trying to hold back the tide is not going to be a strategy for success.”
Podcasts continue to grow in popularity in UK as BBC reveals data insights
The data shows that while podcast audiences in general have grown, Gen Z interest has dipped since the pandemic.
Independent UK news publishers see falls in revenue, audience and staff
On average, the Public Interest News Foundation found, the reach of small independent newsrooms has more than halved year-on-year and their number of employees has declined by a third.
Media manifestos 2024: Publishers urge action to control generative AI
As the UK goes to the polls on 4 July the News Media Association, which represents most UK local and national news publishers, has set out its own “election manifesto” of policy priorities.
News in brief
ITV is to host the first debate of the election campaign, with a head-to-head match-up between Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak. The hour-long debate, moderated by ITV News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham, will air at 9pm on Tuesday 4 June. (Press Gazette)
Meanwhile the BBC has announced its plans for election night 2024, with Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie replacing Huw Edwards to front coverage. The move marks the first time the BBC’s election coverage has been anchored by two people. (Press Gazette)
BBC presenter Geeta Guru-Murthy has apologised on-air to Nigel Farage after she described comments he made about an "invasion" of migrants across the Channel as his "customary inflammatory language". (Daily Telegraph)
Musician James Blunt, one of several public figures to have previously settled legal action against Sun parent company News Group Newspapers, has claimed the defunct News of the World paid women to sleep with celebrities and film their encounters. (The Guardian)
The 19th, a non-profit news outlet focused on gender, politics and policy, has been awarded "a three-year, multi-million dollar grant" by Melinda French Gates. The grant comes amid a wider recent pullback in philanthropic funding for Western nonprofit newsrooms. (The 19th)
Iain Dale has stepped down from his LBC show to put himself forward as a candidate in the upcoming general election. He told listeners last night his two life ambitions had been to be a radio presenter and be an MP. Sky News reports Dale is aiming to be selected as the Conservative candidate in Tory safe seat Tunbridge Wells. (LBC)
Audience research tool Sparktoro says it has been leaked 2,500 pages of internal documents that shed light on how Google Search ranks pages. The Verge says Google has not responded to multiple requests for comment on whether the documents are legitimate. (The Verge)
The Daily Wire made more than $22m from commerce in 2023, representing some 10% of its total revenue. $19m of the sales came from a "Jeremy's Razors" brand the outlet launched after another company, Harry's Razors, pulled ads from a Daily Wire show citing “misaligned values”. (Axios)
A major restructure at News Corp Australia has dispensed with the editor-in-chief of news.com.au, the country's biggest news site. The extent of cuts to rank-and-file staff headcounts has not yet been revealed. (The Guardian)
The Daily Beast is aiming to cut $1.5m in costs through voluntary buyouts. The New York Times reports ten to 15 members of the Beast's unionised editorial staff, about a third of the total, are expected to take the offer. The IAC-owned outlet employs some 100 people in all. (NYT)
Global has acquired production and ad sales rights to The Trawl, a political podcast hosted by Marina Purkiss and Jemma Forte that was previously produced by Gary Lineker's Goalhanger. Purkiss and Forte said "we're very proud of what we've achieved so far with The Trawl but it's definitely time to take it out of our bedrooms".
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Latest podcast
Podcast 71: Daily Mail CEO Rich Caccappolo on keeping journalism free
This episode includes excerpts from an interview between Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford and Rich Caccappolo, CEO of Daily Mail publisher DMG Media. It also features media consultant Matthew Scott Goldstein. They talk about how to save journalism (and democracy) on the open web by adapting to Google’s plan to switch off cookies on Chrome.
Caccappolo also provides an update on DMG Media’s legal action against Google and reveals how his company is growing overall revenue in a tough market.
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Entries are now OPEN for the Future of Media Awards 2024 (which celebrate the best journalism-based digital products). Check out the full list of categories here. Note: These awards are free to enter.