Leaders from The Times, Sky News and Reuters reveal why chasing fewer but more engaged readers - and embracing AI as a creative tool rather than a threat - is proving more profitable than old-school mass reach strategies
A media landscape marked by changing consumer habits and AI disruption is leading some of the oldest UK news organisations to rethink their strategy, and the results are surprisingly encouraging.
At Newsrewired (13 May 2025), leaders from The Times & Sunday Times, Sky News, and Reuters explored how their editorial and business models are fundamentally changing in modern times. What emerged was a picture of organisations willing to challenge their own assumptions.
The Times & Sunday Times might be a 240-year-old news organisation with deep roots in print, but its digital transformation tells a compelling story. Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of its readers now consume content through the Times app, where engagement runs five times higher than on any other platform.
AI presents both challenges and opportunities for the publisher. While AI-powered search is weakening traditional SEO strategies, it's also opening up new editorial possibilities. The Times has been experimenting with AI-narrated articles over the past six months, seeing consumption grow up to five times for this format.
"Trust and quality over scale is what I talk to my teams about consistently," says the general manager of customer growth, Tracy Yaverbaun, who's acutely aware of subscription fatigue across multiple services. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, demonstrating clear value has become essential rather than optional.
The organisation is also testing tools like Shorthand, which allows readers to experience articles through rich visual storytelling rather than traditional text alone - a recognition that modern audiences expect more dynamic content experiences.
Sky News, the youngest organisation on the panel, is implementing an ambitious "2030 strategy" that moves away from traditional broad-reach television towards what it calls a "premium video-first newsroom."
The strategy centres on building dedicated communities around the broadcaster's most recognisable talent and specialist expertise. Political editor Beth Rigby's "Electoral Dysfunction" podcast exemplifies this approach, cultivating a loyal audience that attends live events and creates genuine revenue opportunities beyond traditional advertising.
Sky's Trump 100 podcast reached five million downloads in just 112 days, demonstrating strong audience appetite for expert-led, in-depth content that goes well beyond conventional broadcast formats.
Managing director and executive editor Jonathan Levy acknowledges that this community-focused approach requires a fundamentally different leadership style - one that actively breaks down traditional departmental silos.
"If I sit down with one of the podcast producers, I'm going to learn more from them about format than they're going to learn from me," he said.
Reuters, the 174-year-old news agency, made a significant strategic shift last October by launching its first consumer paywall. With straightforward pricing ($1, £1, or €1 per week), the agency has already attracted over 100,000 subscribers without damaging its core B2B operations.
Executive editor Simon Robinson outlined the organisation's deliberately global approach, moving beyond the traditional focus on major Western news centres, which has long dominated international coverage.
"We want to serve people in Lagos or Mumbai or Sao Paulo as much as we do people in New York or London, those kind of traditional centres," Robinson explained, signalling a broader industry shift towards truly global perspectives.
The agency is also expanding its B2B services through AI integration, exploring options to provide shot lists and narration in 150-200 languages for raw video content—a significant expansion from current offerings in English and select other languages.
