Video can certainly expand a publisher’s reach. However, its strategic value depends on what develops from that exposure: repeat demand for its journalism, a stronger subscription product, or profitable advertiser relationships. These outcomes help determine when and where video belongs in the media business and what investment it warrants. 

The State of Short Video in Media from The Newsroom of Tomorrow offers evidence to inform these decisions. The report combines accounts from 13 newsrooms across nine countries with a separate analysis of social media performance from 100 news brands in 15 European markets. The analysis covers 212,904 video posts of varying lengths, published on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube from May through July 2026. Researchers used the brand tables in the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2025 to guide their selection of 100 news brands. 

The research identifies patterns in publishing and audience response that can help publishers assess where video fits within their business strategy. The findings offer a starting point for deciding which formats and capabilities merit investment. Further research can connect audience engagement to repeat demand, subscriptions, and advertising revenue. 

Understand what drives scale 

Publishers that posted more videos generally recorded more total views, but higher output had a much weaker relationship with average views per video. For example, French digital video publisher Brut and Italian newspaper la Repubblica each recorded approximately 2.9 billion Instagram views. Brut published fewer than half as many videos: 1,297 compared with 2,803. 

The comparison highlights different paths to achieving substantial video reach. It offers publishers a reason to examine how story selection, distinctive access, talent and distribution contribute to performance—and where investment could deliver greater value. 

Performance also varies across platforms. Among 51 brands publishing at least 100 videos on both Instagram and YouTube, 13 ranked in the top quarter for average views per video on Instagram. Only five also ranked in the top quarter on YouTube. This raises a strategic question: which platforms offer the strongest audience connection for a publisher’s video formats, and how can production and distribution build on those strengths? 

Match investment to the commercial model 

The newsroom accounts illustrate how publishers pursue value through video. Wirtualna Polska, one of Poland’s largest digital media companies, sells advertising and sponsorship packages across its websites and social channels. These packages include short videos and longer shows, such as business interviews and lifestyle series. The company says its greatest video business value comes from viewers who actively choose to watch content on its own websites. 

Mediahuis Nederland focuses on making video production more accessible. It uses tools to turn articles into videos more quickly and is assessing whether adding those videos improves the experience for its website readers. 

These approaches highlight the importance of evaluating video against its business purpose. Sponsorship depends on advertiser demand and profitable delivery. Video within a subscription product can support acquisition or retention. Social distribution can build familiarity with the publisher and interest in its journalism, even when consumption remains on the platform. 

The measures of progress therefore differ. Sponsorships can be assessed through revenue and profitability. Audience development may first show results through returning viewers, stronger brand recognition and growing demand for the publisher’s coverage. 

Identify where further investment adds value 

Further assessment can help publishers identify where additional video investment would create the most value. Three questions provide a basis for these decisions. 

• Does attention become recurring demand? Platform analytics and audience research can show whether video reaches priority audiences and builds lasting interest in the publisher’s journalism. Surveys conducted over time can track brand recognition and preference, while controlled exposure studies can test whether video contributes to these changes. 

• Does video strengthen the publisher’s own products? Randomly assigning audiences to website or app experiences with and without video can help establish its effect on return visits, subscription conversion, retention and advertising revenue. Audience research can explain where video adds value and how that varies among readers. 

• Does additional investment generate a worthwhile return? Publishers can assess whether producing more videos or using software to speed up production delivers enough value to justify the costs, including staff time and editorial review. For sponsorships, publishers can examine whether video attracts additional advertiser spending and renewals at profitable margins. 

The State of Short Video in Media provides a useful starting point for identifying cases in which video merits greater investment. Further research can determine which opportunities build lasting audience demand and commercial value. That evidence can help media executives decide which capabilities to develop, where to expand production, and how to balance investment across their own properties and external platforms.