Media and news

“Our industry needs to think bigger,” New York Times publicist A. G. Sulzberger declared in a recent interview, in which he detailed the media landscape’s transition of the last 20 years through a time of rebuilding, consolidation, and experimentation, in which traditional players have shifted revenue models, grown through large scale mergers, and entered into tenuous relationships with Artificial Intelligence and social media platforms—the landscape has fundamentally changed. In a time when the role of media has never been more important, here are some insights we’ve gathered through this period:

Social media and big tech aggregators changed the game and newcomers like TikTok continue to redefine how users are engaging with content, and for how long. In order to embrace new technology players and user behaviors, media brands are diversifying revenue sources, media formats, in-person events, and new verticals to retain loyalty, invite in new audiences and develop revenue streams beyond advertising and paywalls

Media brands have long held the role of information authority and subject matter expert with a trusted and sacred place in our democracy and lives. From the broadcast model of one expert voice to many people to the social media landscape of connecting like audiences together without moderation to today, where AI is generating and optimizing content for each individual, the authority of media brands continues to be diminished through innovative technology disruptors. Media brands now have the imperative to prevent fake news, safeguard free speech, expand access through machine language translation, and much more. See our work with the Content Authenticity Initiative for more information.

As media brands continue to diversify their revenue streams by creating new products, acquisitions, mergers, and partnering with AI providers, creating flexible and extensible design systems is more critical than ever. Ensuring scalability while maintaining brand cohesion will be necessary to ensure trust and adoption with core audiences as new channels are introduced.

AREA 17 has had the privilege of working with the most influential media and news institutions and is committed to co-creating a world where the industry not only remains but thrives. How can news and media leaders redefine what news means? We would love to discuss how you are approaching these considerations.