Media trends in 2025

This blog post is a summary of the findings of the Reuters Institute Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025 report.

Our world is going through tumultuous times. New technologies, such as AI, are increasingly part of our lives, and a rising wave of populist and authoritarian leaders has ripple effects throughout our societies. How do these changes affect the future of journalism? What can we expect to see in 2025? In this blog post, we go through key trends for the year 2025 in the media industry.

Rising Lack of Confidence in the Future of Journalism

There has been a rising lack of confidence in the future of journalism among news executives. Only 41% say that they are confident, which is down 19% from 60% in 2022. This lack of confidence can be attributed to the rising wave of populists and authoritarian politicians around the world that undermine and attack journalists and news outlets.

The increasing level of political polarisation has also caused the public to have a lack of trust in mainstream news outlets, especially in countries like the United States and France. Not all is lost, however. In the Nordic countries, trust in the media is still quite high, with Finland having the highest score (69%) among all the countries surveyed. And despite the lack of confidence in the future, many news executives (56%) still have confidence in their companies’ business prospects, despite layoffs and downsizing. 

Graph from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024.

Disruption of Search

The worry over referral traffic continues from last year, with 74% of those surveyed being somewhat or extremely worried over a potential decline in referral traffic. Due to algorithm changes, referral traffic from Facebook, X and Instagram has declined significantly over the last 2 years. 

Graph from the Reuters Institute Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025 report.

Although Google search traffic has remained relatively stable for the past years, AI search engines and their effect on traffic are new worries. AI search engines work differently from traditional ones. Instead of giving the searcher a list of links, they provide a summary that has been aggregated from multiple sources. The worry is that searchers won’t bother clicking on the source material when provided a summary.

Some big publishers have gotten ahead by signing licensing agreements with OpenAI to give preference to their content when providing generated answers. These deals favour big English-language publishers, raising worries over the weakening position of small news outlets. 72% of news executives would therefore prefer collective agreements that benefit the whole news ecosystem.

AI companies are also facing lawsuits for using publishers’ content to train their models without permission. The outcome of these suits will certainly have strong after-effects on both the publishing world and AI companies. In the future, we can also expect government intervention in some countries.

On our page, you can find a guide on how to optimise your content for AI search results.

Wider Platform Uncertainties

The changing algorithms on big social media platforms have led to ambivalence in maintaining ties with them. Publishers feel that some social media platforms want to take advantage of their content without providing much in return. Formerly popular platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are not appealing. Publishers plan to put more effort into building ties with AI companies and video platforms. Google Discovery has also become a priority because it has become the number one source of referral traffic.

Graph from the Reuters Institute Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025 report.

Video platforms are still on the rise. YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels are hugely popular, especially among the younger demographics. In most countries, well over half of the population consumes news in short-form video formats. Due to the format's popularity, some publishers, such as BBC, have begun to embed vertical videos into their stories and homepages.

The proposed ban on TikTok in the United States has the potential to shift this development. The platform is hugely popular and is largely to thank for the popularity of the short-form format. Banning it in the US might lead to other countries taking similar measures, which would cause a huge shift in the social media landscape.

Time will tell what the long-term effects will be. Already, many American users have moved to the Chinese social media app, RedNote, as a form of protest against the ban.

Graph from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024.

Product Innovation

There is a continued shift away from advertising to reader-funded models. Subscriptions are still the most important revenue stream for publishers, whereas display and native advertising have dropped 12-16% in level of importance since 2020. The amount of digital subscriptions is growing, but at a lower rate than before, which in some cases is not making up for the decrease in print sales.

Due to the slow rate of subscription growth nearly half of the publishers (44%)  interviewed by Reuters were considering developing new products and services. Over half (55%), however, plan to focus on strengthening their existing product. Young people are the target demographic, with 42% saying they plan to launch or are thinking about launching a product aimed at young people.

Graph from the Reuters Institute Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025 report.

Product bundling, whether it be a mix of products offered by a single publisher, or collaborative subscription bundles between different media outlets, is looking to be a popular model among publishers. Improvements in audio AI technology also mean that publishers are planning to integrate audio into their websites and apps. Other audio products, such as podcasts and audio-only subscriptions, are also looking to be popular.

“Creator-fication” of News

Increasingly, people are getting their news from social media personalities and influencers. In the United States, 37% of adults under 30 report regularly getting news from influencers. Some journalists are following in the wake, moving their careers from newsrooms to social media posting.

The draw of influencers is in the way they present the news, providing new perspectives and utilising humour, which makes them more approachable and authentic-feeling. A lack of trust in mainstream media, brought on by political polarisation, has also caused people to seek out alternative news sources.

The rise of creators as a news source raises concerns about mis- and disinformation and the spread of conspiracy theories. On the other hand, others feel new perspectives, creativity and increased audience interaction are the positive aspects of this development.

Some media houses have started working with influencers and creators to deliver their content to increase their reach and to deliver news to younger audiences in ways they find relatable.

Combating News Fatigue

The current tragedies going on in the world, such as climate change and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, are causing news fatigue among both readers and journalists. Some have stopped consuming news entirely.

Publishers have combated news fatigue by trying different formats, such as podcasts and videos, short key bullet points on world events, including positive news stories in newsletters, and trying new methods to produce stories.

Slow journalism is also making a comeback. For example, a new media, Uusi Juttu, started in Finland in January. Their focus is delivering the main news stories of the day in two podcasts a day plus 1-2 more in-depth stories. The aim is to reduce information flow.

Generative AI

Generative AI has been adopted more widely in newsrooms since last year, with big newsrooms already creating guidelines for use, and hiring AI specialists. Back-end task automation is still seen as the most important task, same as last year, followed closely by content creation (with human oversight). Assistance with coding is also seen as an important function. The perceived importance of AI in all functions has increased since last year’s survey.

Graph from the Reuters Institute Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025 report.

Many large media houses have invested in AI toolkits and cross-functional teams to experiment with AI. Top AI initiatives planned by publishers include text into audio (75%), AI summaries (70%), and AI translation (65%). Over half (56%) are planning to launch chatbots or other AI-powered search interfaces.

To read more on how AI is currently being utilised in media houses click here.

Graph from the Reuters Institute Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025 report.

Conversational Interfaces

Are conversational interfaces going to be the next big thing? 20% of the publishers surveyed by Reuters think so, but 50% believe adoption will be more gradual. With a conversational interface, you can transform dense articles into podcast episodes or have a chat with an article.

The Times magazine recently showcased such a feature in their article on the Person of the Year 2024. The conversational interface enabled the reader to not only listen to the article but also to ask questions about the article via voice chat.

Screenshot from the Times Person of the Year conversational interface.

Conclusion

The media landscape is constantly evolving, shaped by technological advancements, shifting audience behaviours, and global challenges. From the rise of generative AI to the growing influence of social media creators and authoritarian leaders, these changes are redefining how news is consumed, created, and delivered. While some developments offer exciting opportunities, they also come with challenges, such as combating misinformation and adapting to new business models.

As we look to the future, collaboration across the media industry will be essential to successfully navigate these changes. By embracing innovation while staying rooted in journalistic integrity, publishers can not only adapt to the shifting landscape but also lead the way in defining what the future of news will look like.

Key Takeaways

• Shifting media models: A move away from advertising towards reader-funded models, with subscription bundling and digital audio integration gaining popularity.
• Generative AI's growing role: AI is being widely adopted for back-end automation, content creation, coding assistance, and innovations like conversational interfaces.
• Social media challenges: Algorithm changes are impacting referral traffic, and AI search engines raise concerns over traffic loss for publishers.
• Rise of creators: Social media influencers are becoming prominent news sources, raising concerns about misinformation but also offering new opportunities for audience engagement.
• Combating news fatigue: Publishers are experimenting with new formats, such as podcasts, short-form content, and slow news, to keep readers engaged.
• Conversational interfaces: Emerging as an innovative tool for reader interaction, with features like voice chat and article-based discussions.
• Collaboration is crucial: Industry-wide cooperation will be essential to adapt to rapid technological and societal changes.