20 Media Executives Offer Their Predictions for 2025

The great thing about predictions is that they are never wrong, which is why ADWEEK gathered responses from more than 20 media executives to hear what they think the new year holds for the industry.

Naturally, artificial intelligence dominated the conversation, but media operators are of a mixed mind as to how the technology will actually come into play next year. 

Other key themes—including fragmentation, trust, and traffic—have made appearances in past lists, and they will probably be among the predictions for 2026 as well. So much of the business simply swings back and forth between two poles—bundling and unbundling—that retrospection can take on the appearance of foresight.

Either way, here are the lightly condensed and edited predictions for the media industry in 2025.

Generative AI becomes more integrated into publisher operations …

In 2025, GenAI and AI generally are slated to play a far more important role in publisher operations—from advertising to copy creation to improving recommendation engines.

“If 2024 was the year of testing new GenAI technologies in the ad buying/selling process, 2025 will be the year of deploying the tech in a tangible way and launching new products and features that add real value,” said Wall Street Journal chief revenue officer Josh Stinchcomb.

Sherry Phillips, the newly appointed chief executive of Forbes, agrees.

“Media companies that embrace AI in use, safeguard user data, and foster authentic engagement will build deeper, more loyal connections with their audiences,” she said.

At the Daily Beast, which has seen its subscriber count balloon under new leadership, AI is poised to play an even more prominent role in its business next year, according to chief revenue officer Keith Bonicci.

“The continued proliferation of AI tools for publishers to leverage, including tools that help drive subscriber growth via AI-aided pay walling, as well as tools that help create efficiencies in journalist workflows,” Bonicci said. “2025 will be the year the noise clears up a bit and publishers move from the analysis stage of these AI tools and to more widespread adoption and use of them.”

… but operators become less transparent about its use 

Publishers have found themselves in somewhat of a bind when it comes to using AI. 

Consumer sentiment toward the technology is still unenthusiastic, making its overt use a risk, while using it covertly risks an even bigger backlash—but only if they’re caught.

As a result, some media executives agree that AI use will rise in 2025, but not in a transparent way.

“We’re already seeing more media companies use GenAI to create content without explicit disclosure—you know who you are,” said BuzzFeed publisher Jess Probus. “This will happen more rapidly over the next year as the tech gets better and cheaper, and most media companies will stop even acknowledging that AI is part of the service or output.”

Puck cofounder Jon Kelly agrees.

“[There will be] a lot more artificial intelligence promiscuity than anyone imagines,” Kelly said. “I think that subprime post-decline brands will rely on AI in profound, currently unprecedented ways to create their content and stay afloat.”

Events become even more important …

Live events have been one of the bright spots of the industry since the pandemic, and that trend shows no signs of abating in the new year.

“I anticipate, at least in business-to-business marketing, we’ll see fewer ‘spots and dots,’” said Stinchcomb, “and more collaborative and customized partnerships centered around events that convene premium audiences and communities that will inevitably drive bigger returns in the long term.”

Sara Badler, chief revenue officer at The Guardian U.S., echoed the sentiment. 

“Sports and events will be bigger than ever in 2025,” Badler said. “People want industry events, outings, opportunities for summits, and engaging lunches—all reminiscent of the 2000s.”

… but are due for a correction

Naturally, nothing good can last, and some publishers are preparing for the events market to adjust after years of growth.

“After a boom in live programming over the last few years, we’re going to see Darwinism step in to rightsize the industry,” said Axios chief revenue officer Jacquelyn Cameron. “Only strong programming will survive, and others will start to dwindle.” 

The traffic referral landscape becomes more splintered …

Sources of traffic that publishers once relied on, like search and social media, continue to send fewer referral readers to publishers.

“We’re in an era of appropriate selfishness,” said Dotdash Meredith CEO Neil Vogel. “If you’re a platform, you’re under no obligation to send us traffic.”

The WSJ’s Stinchcomb agrees.

“The referral/traffic ecosystem will continue to evolve, placing even greater emphasis on the value of audiences that come to your platforms organically,” he said. “As new social platforms and chatbots emerge, audiences are becoming increasingly fragmented, presenting both challenges and opportunities and reshaping how users discover and engage with content.”

… but publishers with direct connections reap the benefits

The increased difficulty of acquiring readers will put publishers with loyal audiences in a stronger position.

“Publishers are going to discover how little raw scale is worth,” said Semafor cofounder Ben Smith. “We’ll see more entrepreneurial, focused, and intelligent news products targeting smaller, engaged audiences.”

These direct relationships are also attractive to advertising partners, who value the insights that come as a byproduct of the connection.

“I also believe there will be an increased desire for brands to have a more direct relationship with their audiences,” said Bloomberg Media CEO Karen Saltser. 

Business Insider chief revenue officer Maggie Milnamow pointed to how these trends will influence advertisers’ data and targeting needs.

“With third-party cookies continuing to phase out,” she said, “advertisers will invest more in first-party data and work with publishers who sit on a lot of that data, like our newly launched SagaREACT product, that uses cutting-edge AI to help brands go beyond contextual targeting and harness the power of human emotion.”

Readers increasingly value trustworthy sources of news

As a result of GenAI, the sheer scope of available information—some factual, some not—has made it increasingly difficult for people to discern the truth.

This deluge of information threatens some parts of the media industry—particularly those making easily replicated commodity content. But it has a knock-on benefit to news publishers that produce original reporting and take pains to engender trust in their audiences.

“Those who produce distinctive journalism—and, conversely, avoid commodity journalism—will thrive,” said Politico CEO Goli Sheikholeslami.

A focus on factual, unbiased reporting will also benefit publishers next year, according to G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller and Gannett CEO Mike Reed.

“Truth and unbiased journalism will be valued more than ever with the proliferation of AI,” said Reed. Spanfeller reiterated the sentiment, saying, “[There will be] a return in perceived value for true journalistic organizations: Entities focused more on fact and real reporting than opinion and blogging.”

… but news influencers become more visible faces for their outlets 

While reporters benefit from institutional support, consumers are now more prone to trust individuals.

This will lead more publishers to experiment with delivering their reporting in styles more frequently associated with influencers, such as unedited videos, intimate podcasts, and personality-driven newsletters.

“We’re seeing a rise of individual influencers as sources of information for the public versus legacy media,” said Fortune editor in chief Alyson Shontell. “Media organizations will need to be creative in how they attract and retain their top talent to ensure they are still able to produce the highest-quality content that draws key audiences in an increasingly fragmented, social, and mobile-first world.”

Bonnie Kintzer, the CEO of Trusted Media Brands, agrees.

“Users want to see themselves, and they want authentic human stories,” Kintzer said. “They are becoming increasingly aware of content made by generative AI.”

Publishers and streamers will consolidate …

After two years of stagnation, merger and acquisition activity should return with a vengeance in 2025, driven by an improving economic outlook and a friendlier regulatory environment.

“Reduced regulatory scrutiny and favorable economic conditions will boost media industry consolidation and innovation,” said Outside CEO Robin Thurston. “Media agencies and brands will pursue acquisitions, develop new operating models, and enhance capabilities to thrive in the evolving landscape.”

TMB’s Kintzer agreed, especially within the streaming ecosystem.

“There are too many offerings, too much inventory and we expect consolidation,” Kintzer said. “Channels with established brands and proven programming strategies will rise to the top.”

… but fragmentation continues to be a pain point

Nonetheless, audience fragmentation will still remain a problem for most publishers (and advertisers).

“Focused, niche media companies will continue to thrive,” said Front Office Sports’ CEO Adam White. “Many ‘niche’ media companies are only niche in focus and not scale—there are a lot of ‘niche’ areas that have a meaningful audience and influence.”

But it will also benefit publishers with multichannel advertising offerings that enable them to reach their audience on multiple touchpoints, according to Bloomberg Media’s Saltser.

“Brands that are truly cross-platform—particularly with deep video and audio engines to complement great written journalism—will continue to have an advantage,” she said.

It will also continue to incentivize revenue diversification, as publishers find that their audiences are too small to sustain a newsroom on advertising alone.

“Business models will continue to diversify away from traditional ad-supported-only models,” said Complex CEO Aaron Levant. “The publishers who will thrive are the ones who have diversified business models with multiple revenue streams and a unique point of view on the world.”