Local journalism is essential to the health of American communities. The American Journalism Project frames local news as a public good essential to democracy. It holds local officials accountable, informs residents about critical issues, and fosters a sense of connection and trust. Yet, as newsrooms close and resources shrink, many communities are left without a reliable source of local coverage, often referred to as the rise of “news deserts.”
A new report from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News offers a clearer picture of just how widespread this problem is today. The Local Journalist Index is the first county-by-county count of local journalists across all 3,141 U.S. counties. It maps out where journalists are still doing the essential work of community reporting and where they no longer exist. Muck Rack’s massive database of articles and contributors powers the analysis. In particular, it identifies which writers actually focus on local issues rather than simply reposting national news.
Active journalists
This index goes beyond basic headcounts. It examines the number of local journalists actively contributing to news stories in each area and utilizes a unique metric called the Local Journalist Equivalent, or LJE. This method ensures that counties in metro areas, where news outlets often serve multiple regions, still receive proportional credit for their local coverage. The result is a more accurate snapshot of local news distribution.
More than 1,000 counties across the U.S. do not have a single full-time local journalist. The report notes that when local news disappears, civic engagement drops and misinformation spreads more easily. Residents lose access to critical information about their health, safety, and local governance. Local journalism doesn’t just report on communities; it also fosters a sense of community.
Geographical differences
Some of the hardest hit areas may not be surprising. Rural counties across the Midwest and South show significant gaps in local coverage. Nevada ranks last in the number of journalists per 100,000 people. However, there are some bright spots as well. Places like Athens County, Ohio and Albemarle County, Virginia, benefit from the presence of nearby universities, where student journalists help fill coverage gaps.
The index also reveals striking differences within states. For example, New York is home to some of the country’s most prominent newsrooms. Yet many counties outside the metro area show extremely low local journalist counts.
To make the data more meaningful, the index adjusts for population size and accounts for rural, suburban, and urban community types. Whether you live in a small town or a major city, the shortage of trusted, local voices is a growing concern.
Restoring local journalism
Report for America is one initiative helping to rebuild local journalism by placing early-career reporters in under-covered communities. Launched in 2018, the program is placing hundreds of journalists in local newsrooms across the country. In May 2025, Report for America announced 107 new placements, bringing its active corps to 187. These journalists are covering critical local issues in areas that often lack reliable reporting, with many focusing on communities of color, rural regions, and immigrant populations.
This first edition of the Local Journalist Index is a call to action. By showing where journalists are needed most, it offers a roadmap for funders, policymakers, and advocates working to rebuild local news. This report sheds light on where local journalism thrives and where it is faltering. The index reveals the stark situation for local journalism and should offer communities a powerful catalyst for change.
In digital publishing, loyalty is everything. Yet most of today’s traffic still comes from platforms we don’t control: social media, search and aggregators like Google Discover. That worked for a while. But now, the rules are changing fast. And, to build a loyal audience, you’ll need to change your approach.
Social traffic is shrinking, too. Facebook has reduced visibility for news links by over 80% since its pivot away from journalism in 2021. And with AI summaries becoming more common in search results, even Google Search is becoming less reliable as a traffic source.
That leaves one source of traffic with long-term value: people who come to you directly. The good news is that this has been perfected by many publishers, and it’s an easy strategy to emulate.
Direct traffic means real connection
Direct traffic isn’t just a number in a dashboard. It’s a sign of trust. It means someone typed in your URL, opened your app, clicked a bookmark, or followed your newsletter link. They didn’t stumble onto your content. They came to you on purpose.
In the Nordics, we see publishers with 80–90% of their traffic coming direct. This is not a coincidence. It’s a result of long-term product decisions that support reader habits: live coverage, frequently updated and often personalized front pages with high click-through rates, well-timed and relevant push notifications that bring readers back in real time, newsletters tailored to reader interests and sent at moments when your audience is most likely to engage, and strong editorial presence.
Subscriptions follow loyalty
Many publishers try to win subscriptions from users who come through search, Discover, or social. That’s fine, but most of these readers are only there for a single article. And most won’t stay on to become loyal audience members.
The most valuable subscriptions come from users who already know your brand. They return often. They read more than one story. They come back even without a link.
Recent research from Northwestern’s Medill Spiegel Research Center confirms that reader regularity – how often a subscriber visits your site – is the strongest predictor of retention. This finding held across 107 U.S. newspapers, beating out pageviews and time on site as indicators of subscriber health.
Improving on-site value for loyal audience members
Strong breaking news coverage
The result was not just more traffic, but more predictable, repeatable, and resilient engagement.
What remains when platforms disappear
Platforms will continue to change. Some may disappear. The only thing they have in common is that they are not serving your long-term interests. The only audience you control is the one that comes to you directly.
Any publisher that expects to remain relevant in the years ahead needs a clear strategy for increasing direct traffic. Without one, you remain dependent on systems you do not control. That is a risk no publisher can afford to ignore.
The front page is your most important habit-forming tool
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear describes how habits form through a loop of cue, craving, response and reward. This loop is driven by dopamine.
Source: Atomic Habits, Figure 9
The same mechanism applies when a reader visits a news site. The front page is the cue. If the visit is rewarded, the habit is reinforced. If not, the impulse weakens.
In the beginning (illustrated as A in the diagram), dopamine is released when the reward is experienced. Over time, as the habit takes shape (B), dopamine begins to rise earlier—at the moment the cue is recognized—because the brain now expects the reward. This anticipation creates a sense of motivation and reinforces the habit.
But when the expected reward doesn’t come (C), dopamine drops. The result is disappointment, and over time, the habit may stop altogether.
This applies directly to how readers interact with a front page. Each visit is a response to a cue—often formed by habit. If the page offers something new or relevant, the reward is delivered and the habit is strengthened. But if the content is unchanged, predictable, or uninteresting, the reader leaves with nothing—and the loop is broken.
Earlier in this article, I referenced research from Medill showing that visit frequency is more important than article depth when it comes to long-term subscription value. Readers who come back often are far more likely to stay. But to support that pattern, each visit needs to deliver something fresh.
That’s why personalization must begin at the top of the page. Not halfway down, and not just in selected modules. For it to work in a newsroom context, it has to be done responsibly—with editorial oversight and clear boundaries. A news brand cannot personalize like a social platform. I’ve written more about what responsible personalization looks like here: Informed personalization: editors in charge, trust at stake.
As the entire media industry grapples with AI’s rapidly evolving future, I can’t help but see a potential harmony between artificial intelligence and news media. And this prompts me to wonder: What do we truly want this relationship to look like now, in 10 years – and beyond? AI is transforming how we process information, forcing us to confront fundamental issues of trust, ethics, and the sustainable future of journalism.
I’m sure I’m not alone in turning to television, film and books to articulate the ways in which AI may play out in our industry. In this case, my mind goes straight to Star Trek. Data and the Borg offer two starkly different visions of what AI can become. The character Data was built to learn from and with humans. Data is curious and evolving, committed to understanding and serving the people around him. The Borg, on the other hand, are designed to assimilate. Their goal is not growth through understanding but domination through absorption. One AI is shaped around growth and human relationships. The other is built for control.
It is my belief that AI – developed with purpose – can enhance human understanding, much like Star Trek’s beloved Data. At the other extreme, it will indiscriminately devour information, similar to the formidable antagonist Borg. It would yield results that erase our humanity, putting technology and efficiency above helping communities better engage with news media and understand the world around us.
AI design for good news
Audiences now expect access to large volumes of data and information delivered at high speed. What they’re looking for now is clarity and understanding to make sense of what they’re reading and seeing and how it connects to everyday life. Whether it’s a school policy or a change to housing codes, people are beginning to rely more on AI-synthesized insight and summaries pulled from whatever is most available, statistically frequent, and easy to read. That doesn’t always guarantee the information is complete, useful, or meaningful. And over time, these easy (often incomplete) answers shape how people view institutions, public decisions, causes, beliefs and even journalism.
When developers design AI tools to support clarity and accuracy, journalists can focus on the parts of their work that deepen understanding. They can focus on the work of the journalist: asking thoughtful questions rooted in real life, connecting facts in meaningful ways, and highlighting stories that help people see why something happened and what it means next. With the right tools, they amplify voices that often go unheard, raise questions absent from the record, and draw a clear throughline between past events and current developments—showing how decisions take shape, how systems evolve, and how stories gain meaning over time.
AI, much like the character Data, possesses a remarkable ability to process vast quantities of information with incredible speed. AI tools can deliver a clarity that propels opportunities for thought and innovation to move forward. We’re already seeing this in newsrooms today. AI can effortlessly summarize dense material, identify patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed in large datasets, and eliminate some of those tedious manual steps that often slow us down, like transcribing interviews or sifting through public records. This gives journalists more opportunity to delve deeper into their work and operate with heightened focus. Intentional AI design is truly about augmentation, providing a powerful partner rather than a replacement for human ingenuity.
Developing AI tools that serve the audience
Pew Research finds that people continue to view local journalism as absolutely essential. Audiences place their trust in local reporters to deliver accurate information. Many media organizations aim to reduce the workload for (or even the need for) journalists. However, some are beginning to build agentic AI that directly serves audiences. The prospect of creating tools that empower individuals to make everyday decisions with confidence is exciting. It directly builds on that trust.
These tools don’t need to be all-encompassing. They simply have to be useful and intuitively reflect the ways people already seek out information. By design, these AI tools would deliver task-oriented insights, much like explanatory journalism, but do so in an interactive and personalized way.
For instance, newsrooms are already experimenting with tools that help residents visualize how a proposed school budget might impact classroom sizes at the schools closest to them or how a specific zoning decision could influence traffic and housing prices in their very own neighborhood. Another tool might, for example, transform a public health message into something clear and easily understandable. Even better, it might adapt to how an individual comprehends language or processes information.
Wise AI tool design
On the contrary, we must think carefully about how we use AI tools. If we apply them solely to speed up output or increase volume, we risk reinforcing the same pressures that have already strained the industry—pressures that replace depth with summaries and bury real insight in the shuffle. When systems treat all inputs the same, they strip away context and diminish quality.
The value of journalism comes from knowing what questions to ask and why the story matters. AI might spot a spike in illness at a local hospital. However, if a reporter doesn’t dig into who is affected, why it’s happening, and what it means for the community, the human story—and its impact—won’t come through. AI tools can support better access and make the work more efficient. But their impact depends on how they’re guided and who is behind the questions.
We’ve seen before how technology built for efficiency can still deepen harm when no one questions its impact. The cotton gin made cotton production faster, but it also fueled the expansion of slavery across the South. That outcome wasn’t baked into the machine, it emerged through systems that used speed and scale without regard for justice.
Similarly, today’s AI tools generate articles, prioritize content, and process vast datasets in ways that appear productive on the surface. But without human judgment, AI tools fail to explain why something matters, who is being left out, or what risks might follow. The strength of journalism isn’t in speed or volume. It’s in knowing which questions to ask, what stories need depth, and how to connect the facts to people’s lives.
AI is a powerful accelerant for journalism, not a replacement for the invaluable human element. As of today, It excels at streamlining certain tasks, which can allow journalists to dedicate more time to the core of the profession. This has and will remain human-centered storytelling, nuanced interpretation, and the exercise of sound editorial judgment. AI can efficiently surface the foundational “who, what, when, and where.” However, it is the unique human capacity for critical inquiry, lived understanding, and ethical reasoning that uncovers the “how” and “why,” transforming mere facts into meaningful narratives.
The future of journalism hinges on intentionally integrating human ingenuity with technological tools. We can leverage AI for efficiency while unequivocally prioritizing human traits like interpretation, accountability, and narrative depth. These qualities remain paramount in helping audiences not just receive information, but truly comprehend its significance.
Entertainment remains one of the most resilient categories in household spending, even as many Americans look for ways to cut back. From concerts and travel to dining out and streaming subscriptions, people continue to seek out experiences that bring joy, escape, and connection.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, consumer spending on recreation services, including streaming, live events, and travel, grew by over 7% year-over-year in Q1 2025. This growth outpaced the overall increase in personal consumption, signaling strong demand for experience-based activities.
But strength in entertainment spending doesn’t mean consumers aren’t anxious. Inflation, recession fears, and rising prices are still top of mind. So, where do consumers draw the line, and what entertainment is worth the cost when budgets are tight?
New findings from Hub Entertainment Research show a notable increase in anxiety among consumers since late 2024, particularly about inflation and the risk of recession. This economic unease is prompting many viewers to reassess their spending on entertainment. Yet, unlike concerts, theme parks, and other one-time events, TV and streaming subscriptions appear relatively resistant to budget cuts and cancellations. Streaming’s staying power comes down to perceived value. Aside from vacations, TV and movie streaming rank above all other entertainment alternatives.
Price sensitivity for streaming subscriptions
Nearly nine in 10 viewers now say subscription prices are increasing more frequently. This sensitivity is prompting some to rethink their spending and consider switching to lower-cost, ad-supported tiers. More than half are willing to spend more on streaming if it allows them to reduce other discretionary entertainment costs.
Ad-supported models are generally becoming more appealing. The share of viewers who say they “can’t tolerate ads” continues to decline, dropping to just 11%, from 17% four years ago. Even among this ad-intolerant group, more are now saying they would prefer to save $4–5 per month by accepting ads, rather than pay for an ad-free experience.
Service aggregators play a key role in keeping subscribers engaged. Platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Roku, YouTube, and Apple TV help users manage their growing number of subscriptions. Half of all viewers now use an aggregator, and among 18- to 34-year-olds, that number jumps to 60%. Those who use aggregators are more likely to hold six or more subscriptions, while those without typically have just three or fewer.
Insert aggregator subscriptions chart
YouTube’s multiple products
YouTube is also an increasingly vital part of the media and entertainment ecosystem. Although many users still watch YouTube content on mobile devices, half of them now stream it regularly on television screens. YouTube’s suite of offerings, including its free, ad-supported content, outperforms both subscription and other free services in perceived value.
Despite its strong position, streaming is not immune to viewer pushback. While consumers rank it as one of the last things they’d cut, that sentiment hinges on continued value delivery. If prices rise too often or too steeply, even loyal subscribers may begin to reconsider.
Mark Loughney, Senior Consultant at Hub, notes that while consumers remain anxious about the economy, video subscriptions are among the last things they’re willing to cut. However, that’s only if streaming services don’t push prices too far.
In short, the data highlight a clear takeaway for both consumers and the industry: streaming remains a cornerstone of American entertainment spending. Its blend of variety, convenience, and value continues to resonate even in a tighter economic climate. Providers that keep prices in check, lean into flexible ad-supported tiers, and make discovery effortless stand to deepen that loyalty. With people’s concerns about the economy continuing to rise, the winners will be services that repeatedly prove one simple equation to viewers: more content, less friction, best value.
For media executives, streaming used to be a thorn in the side of linear TV. Not anymore. With consumers continuing to cut the cord and major players like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+ finally adding ad-supported tiers to their offerings, streaming has become the new front line of not just TV programming, but TV advertising too.
I was in Cannes a few weeks ago to meet with clients and understand their priorities for the year ahead. We had just come out with a new report on the rise of streaming TV and shared some impressive top numbers with the industry. But, unsurprisingly, they wanted to know where growth was most likely to come from for them.
It’s all well and good that auto, retail, finance, and pharma companies are spending over $1 billion on streaming platforms, they said, but which of those (and a dozen other) industries should they appeal to first? What types of advertisers within those industries might be most likely to respond? And for our media clients with both linear and streaming properties, how should they balance their media sales efforts between streaming and traditional TV?
To kick start the conversation, we decided to use our MediaRadar data to compare what brands have been spending on streaming platforms over the past few years to what they’ve been spending on linear TV. Mind you, not just linear TV but what most consider the bastion of linear TV: NFL broadcasts. The early results are remarkable and might affect how you think about your next media sales pitch.
Why NFL advertisers?
NFL games — and live sports in general — are tentpole events keeping traditional TV alive. However, streaming sports deals are multiplying and starting to lift media companies beyond major broadcasters too. Most football advertisers are in it for the reach and are well entrenched in linear TV advertising. However, many others are starting to recognize streaming as a natural extension of their traditional TV investments and a way to take their targeting capabilities to new heights. We thought that the intersection of those two advertising universes — streaming TV on one hand, and NFL games on linear TV on the other — would offer interesting contrasts and actionable insights for streaming media executives at a crucial time in their platforms’ development.
Another reason why this comparison is interesting is that advertisers spend about as much on NFL linear TV broadcasts ($8.5 billion during the 2024-25 season) as they do across all programs on streaming platforms ($7 billion during those same six months). So we’re not talking about two wildly different media channels with very unique advertising patterns and dynamics. It’s not streaming against the whole of linear TV and its $60 billion advertising market, for instance.
The overlap here is substantial. Figure 1 shows that between early August 2024 and early February 2025 (from the NFL pre-season to Super Bowl LIX), 23% of all the brands in our analysis advertised both on streaming platforms and during an NFL game on linear TV.
Figure 1: Overlap between streaming and linear TV advertisers during the 2024-25 NFL season Source: MediaRadar
Football TV advertisers make clutch streaming partners
Of all the brands that advertised on streaming platforms in that six-month period, roughly half aired commercials during NFL games on linear TV as well. That’s been a fairly consistent picture over the years, as Figure 2 illustrates. The share of brands that advertise exclusively on linear TV has also been shrinking every year.
Figure 2: Share of the number of streaming and linear TV advertisers during the last four NFL seasons Source: MediaRadar
There’s still a long way to go to convince all of those brands to give streaming a chance. However, those that have made the jump already contribute the lion’s share of streaming TV revenues. Figure 3 shows that they represented 23% of all advertisers during the 2024-25 NFL season butaccounted for 64% of all media spend in our analysis (and 87% of all streaming media spend).
Figure 3: Share of streaming and NFL media spend on linear TV during the last four NFL seasons Source: MediaRadar
Move up the chains
What type of brand should your media sales team pursue first? On average, beer & wine brands spent $1.2 million on all streaming platforms from Aug ‘24 to Feb ‘25, but they spent nearly $7.4 million during NFL games on linear TV. There’s plenty of room to grow. During that same period, telecom advertisers spent $2.7 million on streaming and $6.5 million on NFL TV broadcasts. Car manufacturers: $4.5 million and $11.7 million. Figure 4 shows the current gap in media spend for a typical brand in a number of sports-friendly industries.
Figure 4: Average media spend per advertiser during the 2024-25 NFL season (million dollars) Source: MediaRadar
In some sectors like restaurants, pharma, or insurance, streaming budgets are already on par with football budgets on linear TV, but they’re well behind in many other popular sectors. As more NFL games and other sports franchises transition to streaming, there’s a clear opportunity for media sales teams to bring those budgets closer together.
That doesn’t mean that streaming growth will always come at the expense of linear TV, of course. Between Aug ‘24 and Feb ‘25, Modelo tripled its streaming budget (from $4.4 million to $14.5 million) while also increasing its NFL linear TV budget by 20% (from $39.4 million to $47.2 million). But if you want to move the chains for your digital platform, you could do a lot worse than sports advertisers new to streaming and used to spending a lot on TV.
With the 2025-26 NFL season right around the corner, it’s time to study the field and draw up a winning playbook.
Note: MediaRadar’s streaming tracking expanded to include Netflix during H2 2022 and Disney+ during H1 2023. Insignificant variance to the number of streaming advertisers. Analysis not adjusted and reflective of current conditions.
But, unlike a number of other legacy social networks, the platform continues to go from strength to strength. Back in 2022, I argued on these pages that media companies need a dedicated YouTube strategy, a sentiment that remains equally relevant three years on.
Here are six reasons why many media companies need to reconsider the value they attach to YouTube, and six proven tactics to help maximize their impact and approach to the platform.
YouTube enjoys huge reach and engagement
According to the Business of Apps website, YouTube has more than 2.7 billion monthly active users. Over 238 million of these users are in the U.S., the StatsUp site notes. In terms of reach, that makes it either the biggest, or second largest, social network in the world, depending on your source. Either way, it’s a huge audience.
Lastly, engagement dwarves other social networks. “YouTube takes the lion’s share of … social media time,” commentsSimon Kemp, the Chief Analyst at DataReportal. “The world spends almost twice as much time using YouTube as it spends using the platform’s next nearest rival, TikTok.”
Despite this, many publishers continue to treat YouTube as an afterthought compared to shinier, newer, visual-oriented platforms like the aforementioned TikTok or Instagram.
Esra Dogramaci, a digital news executive and YouTube specialist, who has worked for international broadcasters including Al Jazeera, BBC, DW, and others, agrees. “News organizations [and] publishers should have always been paying attention to YouTube,” she told me. “We often forget that YouTube is the second biggest search engine, and [the] world’s largest video platform.”
It’s a core platform for reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha
Efforts to more effectively engage younger audiences is a key goal for many media companies. It’s no surprise that YouTube can be a pivotal plank in these strategies. Afterall, as Rande Price, VP, Research at Digital Content Next, recently reflected, “prioritizing video formats that are concise, authentic, and visually native to social platforms is essential to reaching Gen Z.”
Data published at the end of last year found that more than seven in 10 Gen Z consumers (71%) discover new media content (such as music, podcasts, and TV series) through YouTube, only just behind social media as a whole (72%).
Moreover, 73% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 (a mix of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, a demographic born after 2010) say they use YouTube every day. According to insights from the Pew Research Center, that means YouTube is “the most widely used and visited platform” among this age group. That includes 15% who said that their use of the platform is “almost constant.”
Short-form video is growing in popularity
There are multiple ways to harness YouTube to attract younger audiences. As Price points out, “tone, pace, and relevance” are intrinsic to this. Those sentiments are applicable to all content on the platform, including YouTube Shorts, an area seeing considerable growth. Last month, Neal Mohan, YouTube’s CEO, revealed that “YouTube Shorts are now averaging over 200 billion daily views!”
That audience isn’t just Gen Z, although they are a significant share of Shorts consumers.
Publisher’s short video strategies therefore should encompass YouTube, as well as TikTok, and Reels on Facebook and Instagram. These formats can also encourage consumption of long-form video, as well as acting as their own, standalone, genre.
“YouTube Shorts is… the ‘take away’ version prior to the ‘dine in’ experience,” contends Dogramaci. She argues that Shorts can serve as a gateway to your main channel especially if it is fully optimized. (For tips on how to do this, read to the end of the article!)
“It appeals to younger audiences with short-form content,” she says, “provided that you’ve done all the housekeeping in terms of channel and video optimization.”
According to Edison, YouTube is the most popular service for listening to podcasts in the United States, ahead of Spotify and Apple. So, if content creators aren’t distributing their podcasts on YouTube, they are potentially missing out.
Furthermore, “YouTube is often the first place people go when looking for a new podcast,” the platform’s blog claimed earlier this year. To aid with this discovery, in May, the company began releasing a weekly chart of YouTube’s Top 100 podcast shows in the U.S.
And as the differentiation between video and audio content continues to blur, Gen Z is driving much of this trend, Edison found. Their research stated that this age group feels that “video provides a better understanding of context/tone through facial expressions and gestures,” and it also enables consumers to feel “more connected to the podcaster(s).”
It’s big on screens of all sizes
Although the smaller screen garners a considerable amount of YouTube consumption, the growth of connected TV’s (CTV) has also been pivotal in YouTube’s continued growth.
That said, the platform is at pains to point out that this isn’t the same as “the ‘old’ television,” pointing to Shorts (which are popular on TV, just ask my kids), live streams, podcasts, sports, and full shows, as part of the platform’s content mix.
Given these findings, in an age of investment in FAST channels (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) it’s a reminder that brands and media companies still need to factor YouTube into their video strategies. Its TV audience is simply too big to ignore.
YouTube matters to news consumers
The variety of content on YouTube, and its reputation as a source for entertainment, influencers, and User Generated Content (UGC) can mask its popularity as a platform for news and information. New data from the Digital News Report 2025 emphasizes this. Around a third of their global sample uses YouTube (30%) for news each week, just behind Facebook (36%). Given that weekly usage of YouTube for any purpose stood at 63% this is a high percentage of global digital news consumers using the platform for news.
Source: Slide 15 of Esra Dogramaci’s presentation (see below)
In major markets such as India, the use of YouTube for news stands at more than 50%, an important consideration for international news brands seeking to gain a foothold in the world’s most populous nation. Large news audiences on the platform can also be found in other major emerging markets such as Nigeria, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Brazil.
Making inroads into these markets won’t necessarily be easy for traditional media brands, however, as much of the consumption is centered around what the Report authors refer to as “alternative media voices.” This category includes online influencers and personalities, independent journalists, as well as politicians who can go direct to audiences, by-passing traditional media gatekeepers.
Nevertheless, given concerns about misinformation on YouTube – and other social networks – there are opportunities for trusted news and media brands to meet user needs for news and information. And they are in a position to do so in a manner that also offers the credibility that audiences desire.
Conclusion
YouTube’s reach, variety of content offerings, and resonance with younger and news audiences mean that it is an essential distribution platform for publishers in 2025. Of course, it’s not without its challenges. Around 70% of content is algorithmically recommended, meaning that YouTube’s recommendation engine can divert viewers away from publisher channels to other creators. It can also be very difficult to drive traffic from the site back to your own properties.
Yet, YouTube’s size, versatility, and reach – especially with Gen Z and teens – make it hard to overlook. Whether your goal is audience growth, revenue diversification, or brand-building, a dedicated YouTube strategy will be a must for many content creators. Publishers who invest in understanding and leveraging YouTube’s evolving ecosystem will be best positioned to thrive in the digital content landscape; and the pivotal role YouTube plays in this space.
Bringing it all together: 6 essential tips to successfully implement a YouTube strategy
Esra Dogramaci has been leading teams innovating on YouTube for more than a decade. Her experience includes leading the BBC World Service YouTube channels, through to receiving a YouTube Innovation Grant in 2023. The grant enabled her to develop and iterate on YouTube Shorts, while working as the Managing Editor at SBS, one of Australia’s public broadcasters.
In June 2025, Esra presented a session on YouTube for Changer on behalf of the Google Digital News Initiative on YouTube for busy newsrooms. The presentation is here.
Based on that presentation and our conversation, here are six practical recommendations that will enable media companies to nail their presence on YouTube.
Ditch the “Archive” Mindset: Stop treating YouTube as a mere “archive or simple video upload mechanism,” she says. Many media companies with a broadcast arm fall into the trap of “cutting and pasting TV content onto YouTube.” This material “regularly fail[s] to perform because the audiences are different.”
Meet User Needs: Success on YouTube is “less about volume, and more about understanding your audience and curating an offering that will resonate with them,” Dogramaci advises.
She highlights how former Vox producers Cleo Abram and Johnny Harris use YouTube to illustrate this. They “upload once or a few times a month and their videos will typically perform better” because “they know their audience, so they can engineer their content to perform.”
Presented in a style that “is a far cry from the buttoned down presenter reading your evening TV news bulletin,” their work remains substantial and substantive. It’s not dumbed down and connects with audiences by explaining “why this matters,” or “why you should know,” or “why this affects you.”
Prioritizing the Right Metrics: Don’t get fixated on views alone. “A view can be one second, it can be 10 minutes, it can be the same person watching a clip over and over again.” Instead, Dogramaci advises that the most important performance indicators on YouTube are watch time, subscribers, and active subscribers.
Watch time, representing the “actual amount of content consumed,” is crucial; “the more the better,” as it signals resonance and makes your video more likely to be surfaced.” Think of subscribers as your “loyal fans,” she suggests.
Engineer Every Video for Peak Performance: This means obsessing over the thumbnail, a “shop window” that must entice viewers. Your headline must be catchy, and accurate, supported by keywords, tags, and accurate video descriptions. A great banner, custom URL, and content organized into playlists, are also vital for success.
Embrace Niche and New Formats: The “best performing channels are those that know their audience and don’t try to be everything to everyone.” Even big broadcasters might see that their best-performing content is focused on niches. This content, like Deutsche Welle’s “dress code” series, can be evergreen. In contrast to broadcast, “YouTube content [often] has a much longer shelf life,” Dogramaci says.
Implement Continuous Improvement Don’t just upload and forget. Dogramaci recommends bringing different YouTube teams and channels together to learn from each other. By sharing best practices, Dogramaci helped oversee growth at 20 BBC YouTube channels, akin to “the biggest growth of any off-platform product in those years (300% in watch time and 550% in subscribers).”
In applying these principles, media leaders should avoid simply piling more work onto busy teams. “The bottom line is… always about doing less, just doing it better,” she says.
Amid nonstop news cycles and rising media skepticism, one audience remains deeply engaged and increasingly strategic in how they consume information. Decision-makers in the UK aren’t just reading the news; they’re curating it across various platforms, formats, and technologies to stay ahead of the curve.
Portland’s Decision Makers and the News research explores this dynamic in depth and takes a deep look at the media habits of UK professionals, what sources they trust, and how their habits are evolving. The findings shed light on a critical audience that often shapes public discourse while navigating a constantly evolving digital landscape.
Curators, not merely consumers
The report confirms that decision-makers are not passive news consumers. They are intentional curators of their media diet. While 41% of the UK public say they actively seek out news, the number rises to 56% among decision-makers. They build a personalized portfolio of sources, balancing legacy outlets like The Guardian and BBC with emerging platforms like Substack, Medium, and YouTube.
Notably, this group reads deeply and broadly. While traditional print brands remain influential, 60% of respondents still read newspaper content; digital and audio sources are also firmly entrenched. Nearly 80% of decision-makers subscribe to at least one news-focused email newsletter, and 42% regularly listen to news podcasts, double the national average.
AI is changing decision-makers’ media habits
Interestingly, 81% of decision-makers use AI tools to stay informed, nearly twice the rate of the general population. Platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot are becoming go-to sources for clarity and context. For 8% of respondents, AI is already their first stop when seeking further information on a story, just shy of Wikipedia’s 10%. This shift highlights a new layer of influence: what AI tools see and how they weigh information may shape the perceptions of this elite audience.
While their media habits are evolving, decision-makers continue to place a high value on trusted news institutions. The Guardian emerges as the top newspaper brand among this group in terms of consumption and trust, followed by The Times, The Sun, and the Financial Times. On the broadcast front, the BBC remains dominant, reaching 79% of decision-makers and earning the highest trust rating (56%). YouTube, interestingly, is now the third most-trusted video platform (47%).
A preference for digestible short form media
Though highly engaged, decision-makers are not immune to news fatigue. One-third say they’re less interested in news than they were a year ago, with lack of time cited as the top reason. In fact, 39% prefer short-form articles over long-form content, nearly double the 21% who still favor in-depth readings.
Newsletters are a clear winner, with the BBC News Daily, Politico Playbooks, and Guardian briefings among the most popular. Podcasts also thrive, with “Sky News Daily” and “The Rest is Politics” topping the charts.
In today’s media ecosystem, the most influential sources are those that score high on both trust and consumption. The report’s “trust matrix” shows that the BBC, The Guardian, YouTube, and Instagram sit at the intersection of those two forces. These are the formats and platforms that shape the conclusions of decision-makers.
These findings show that reaching today’s influential decision makers demands a multi-format strategy built on trust and optimized for AI. Traditional outlets remain important, but so do newsletters, podcasts, LinkedIn posts, and being visible in AI-generated summaries. In this landscape, brevity and discoverability are as critical as reach.
Growth doesn’t wait. It doesn’t pause for delayed reports or accommodate teams buried in manual tasks. For ad revenue operations, the ability to act fast and decisively is everything.
Yet that ability is often hindered by systems that can’t keep up. Performance data is fragmented. Insights arrive too late to influence outcomes. Campaigns move forward, but the clarity needed to guide them doesn’t. The challenge isn’t ambition, it’s having the infrastructure to match the moment.
This is where automation makes a measurable difference. By centralizing data across the order-to-cash process, it replaces manual workflows with connected, insight-driven ad operations that support every stage of execution. Ad operations teams now move faster and can handle significantly higher volumes without added overhead. For revenue leaders, that means faster delivery, greater throughput, and the ability to realize more revenue, more quickly, without increasing costs.
And the place where that transformation starts, where revenue impact is most often overlooked, is pre-sales.
Where it starts: Pre-sales as a revenue engine
Revenue performance doesn’t start at launch, it starts in pre-sales. This phase shapes deal velocity, win probability, and the data that drives downstream performance. When it’s slow or manual, the entire pipeline feels the impact.
In many organizations, media sales proposals and pitches are still built manually using disconnected tools. Media plans are assembled in static templates. Approvals and contracts crawl through siloed systems. And the materials that support a strong pitch—case studies, screenshots, and past campaign insights—are often scattered across teams, outdated, or hard to access. Each delay slows time-to-close and puts pressure on margins before a campaign even begins.
Instead of spending time pitching, negotiating, and selling, highly compensated sales teams are bogged down by administrative work. Their energy is spent formatting documents, chasing approvals, or searching for assets – tasks that dilute performance and delay revenue. It’s a drain not just on growth potential, but on morale. When talent is buried in low-value tasks, both opportunity and engagement suffer.
Automation removes these delays. Campaign details are pulled directly from intake. Media plans are generated using real-time inputs like inventory, pricing, and past performance. Contracts move faster with integrated e-signature tools.
For revenue leaders, the impact is clear: faster deal cycles, higher conversion rates, and a pipeline that’s built to scale. And the same automation that accelerates pre-sales also streamlines execution once the work begins.
What ad operations automation changes in execution
Even when campaigns start strong, execution can slow them down. Teams lose time to reactive fixes, delayed handoffs, and siloed systems. Progress stalls when performance issues aren’t caught early.
Automation resolves those inefficiencies. Campaign setup becomes more consistent. QA and trafficking run faster with fewer errors. Tasks that once required multiple check-ins happen in sequence, with cleaner execution.
Work moves faster and with less friction. For revenue leaders, that means fewer delays, earlier course correction, and more predictable delivery.
Closing the visibility gap
But execution is only part of the equation. Without real-time insight into pacing, performance, and risk, even the best-run campaigns can fall short.
That’s where automation delivers strategic value. By syncing data across systems, it creates a unified view of campaign performance. Leaders don’t need to wait for weekly updates or cross-team reports. They can act in the moment.
This kind of visibility shortens the distance between signal and response. It enables better pacing decisions, sharper forecasting, and stronger margins. Our research found that 85% of advertising professionals believe automation reduces costs and increases efficiency. These benefits directly strengthen revenue performance.
That level of insight is foundational for scaling.
How automation unlocks scalable execution
Sustained growth requires more than high-performing teams. It requires systems that can keep pace with rising demand. For many media organizations, that’s where scaling efforts stall. Capacity becomes harder to plan. Delivery timelines stretch. Margin pressure increases.
Ad operations automation changes what’s possible. By eliminating repetitive work and standardizing core processes, it reduces the operational drag that slows down growth. Teams can manage more volume without compromising consistency or adding cost.
It’s not about doing the same work faster. It’s about creating infrastructure that supports scale with discipline. For revenue leaders, that means more predictable delivery, fewer operational risks, and the ability to grow without constantly expanding headcount.
And it doesn’t have to happen all at once. Many organizations start with a high-friction area, like pre-sales or campaign setup and expand from there. This kind of phased approach lowers risk, speeds up ROI, and gives revenue teams a flexible way to scale smarter.
Why visibility is revenue leadership’s edge
For revenue leaders, delayed insight leads to delayed action. When data is scattered or slow to surface, decisions are made with uncertainty. And that uncertainty shows up in missed targets, reduced margins, and slower growth.
Ad operations automation changes that by making campaign and performance data available in real time, across the entire order-to-cash process. Leaders can see what’s working, what’s not, and where to take action, without waiting on reports or chasing updates across teams.
It’s not just faster access to data. It’s the ability to lead with clarity. When the full picture is visible, decisions get sharper, timing gets tighter, and results get stronger.
Automation that delivers on revenue
Automation in Ad Rev Ops isn’t about fixing processes. It’s about improving performance. Ad operations automation shortens deal cycles, reduces delivery risk, and exposes what’s working while there’s still time to act.
For revenue leaders, the upside is real. Faster decisions. Tighter forecasts. More control over margin and outcomes. In a market where hesitation costs, automation gives you leverage – and a path to profitable growth.
Live events can be a vital pillar of a media business’ revenue strategy. They provide unparalleled sponsorship opportunities, direct revenue through ticket sales, and the content can often be repackaged and repurposed elsewhere after the fact. As an example, Atlantic Media’s events wing now accounts for over 20% of the business’ overall revenue.
However live events are often an expression of the “soft power” of a media brand. They act as a statement of the company’s influence, whether through big name sponsors and celebrities that attend, or by effectively setting the agenda for the industry through insight and expertise. They are a demonstration of the media company’s relevance for both its audience and potential commercial partners, whether B2C or B2B.
It is no surprise, then, that events remain a priority for many media businesses. However, while they are a source of revenue unto themselves, they are also being employed to support other revenue streams, including subscriptions.
Events and subscription marketing
Live events – especially the flagship conferences and exhibitions held by consumer titles – are exclusive by nature. While their content is often repackaged in article or video form, there is a cachet in attending them in-person and rubbing shoulders with celebrities and peers.
That exclusive nature is therefore being used by savvy subscription- or membership-focused media businesses. Access to those events is desirable, and is being used in subscription marketing material throughout the funnel. The Guardian, for example, offers its members discounted tickets to events at its owned-and-operated live events space in London, a physical benefit in addition to its central message of supporting its journalism.
However, events can support subscription growth as well. Anna Bross, SVP Communications for The Atlantic explains that, “Access to our events is a selling point from the first welcome and onboarding for our subscribers. We also market subscriptions in tandem with our events: ‘become a subscriber to unlock the full breadth of our journalism’.”
“The Atlantic has focused on exclusive events benefits for subscribers, particularly for our flagship event The Atlantic Festival: things like early access to ticket sales; subscriber-only event moments; and discounts. We have also produced subscriber-only virtual events.”
Brad Greenawalt, Vice President of Subscriptions at Hearst Magazines, notes that the appeal of live events can be used throughout the funnel when it comes to converting readers. “We view live events as an opportunity across the funnel. It can be a great audience expansion opportunity, getting new audiences closer to the brand and experience, as well as a lower funnel strategy for more niche premium subscription events.
“Live events are a key selling point for our premium memberships and help drive subscriber conversion and retention.” He cites the UK’s ELLE Collective’s Beauty Masterclasses and GoodHousekeeping’s VIP membership Book Club conversations with authors as some of the events that work especially well for its subscription-oriented publications.
In line with the ongoing trend towards making access to journalists a selling point for subscriptions, live events are also being used and marketed as a way to speak to those journalists in-person. Every organization spoken to for this article mentioned that live events are being used to deepen engagement by way of connecting subscribers with the journalists whose content they consume.
Dow Jones’ VP, Leadership and Event Marketing Laura Verklin said that “Audiences used to be dependent on news organizations for access to information. Now that information is somewhat of a commodity but reliability is the differentiator. Our events allow us to foster a deep sense of trust and transparency with our audience by allowing them to engage and interact directly with reporters and editors while they’re on stage with global decision makers. It underscores the Journal’s editorial integrity and access to global leaders shaping our future.”
Superfans and creating touchpoints
The rule of thumb is that it is far easier (and, crucially, cheaper) to prevent a subscriber from churning than it is to convert a new reader to a subscriber. As a result, events are being considered as a major means of developing the relationship between publication and their readers to a degree where they will pay to support its mission.
More than half (63%) of audience members who complete post-event surveys for the Guardian, for example, say they are more likely to financially support the Guardian after attending one of its events.
A Guardian spokesperson explained that is due in part to using the live events to showcase the Guardian’s unique selling points during the event, which in turn supports those same messages in its membership marketing materials: “Our audiences appreciate the opportunity to ask their questions to our journalists and guests to feel closer to our journalism. It is also a great opportunity to showcase the human element of Guardian journalism in contrast to the rise of AI-generated content.”
Greenawalt also cites post-event feedback as being a significant source of audience information. The team uses the insights provided to tinker with and inform future events and other marketing strategies.
Bross explains that “Hyper-engaged subscribers are more likely to attend events. But those who attend events, whether hyper-engaged or not, are less likely to churn than those who do not attend events. Ultimately, we utilize our experiences to strengthen the perceived value of a subscription, deepen brand affinity with The Atlantic and give our subscribers unique access to our journalists and journalism.”
Creating events for new subscribers
However, that isn’t to say that events are aimed at or even solely marketed towards “superfans.” While these highly-engaged audience members are often the most lucrative for consumer brands, they are also touchpoints for new potential members. Publications are creating events with those new members in mind. The Guardian spokesperson explains that “It depends on the event. It is true that many of our supporters who frequently read the Guardian attend our events. Different speakers and topics also attract different audiences.”
That considered, curated approach is as important for information-based publications, which are predicated on appealing to very specific audiences. Verklin explains that “Exclusive access to our live events is a key differentiator when we market a subscription or membership to one of our C-Suite communities. These moments of in-person connection help deepen trust in the brand and create tangible value that differentiates a premium subscription from more transactional options.”
So as with trial memberships or limited access to some content on a timed basis, events are being created as a ‘lure’ for potential subscribers. Greenawalt says: “Although events draw in highly engaged members, we’ve also found success using it for our new audiences as well. Our newest membership, Veranda Gold Design Society, offered members the opportunity to go on an exclusive tour at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach with Editor-in-Chief Steele Marcoux earlier this year.“
Event strategy and subscription marketing strategies, then, are becoming more intertwined. Each is being used to support the other, with discounted tickets or exclusive access being used to demonstrate the value of a subscription throughout the funnel.
/ An inside look at the business of digital content
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