The Future of Media, Explained - from Press Gazette

Dominic Ponsford and Charlotte Tobitt discuss what led The Standard to where it is today, with just 16 staff left to create the weekly print title after a digital takeover by Independent Media.They also cover why less is more at The Times, and the future of The Telegraph after almost three years in limbo as Axel Springer received government approval for the takeover.

Since former Sunday Times editor Emma Tucker moved to New York to head up the Wall Street Journal, online subs are up 30% to 4.3 million.Charlotte Tobitt explains why tough choices have worked out for the world's most popular financial news brand.Is it ever possible to keep sources secret in the today's surveillance age? The Guardian may have cracked this problem and is sharing it with the world.And Dominic Ponsford reveals how Press Gazette came under attack from black hat SEO operatives trying to silence reporting about the darker side of the SEO industry.

ADWEEK chief strategy officer Mike Beyman talks AI, tech transformation and new forms of advertising for publishers with Press Gazette editor in chief Dominic Ponsford. This episode was sponsored by WordPress VIP.

Dominic Ponsford and Charlotte Tobitt talk about how journalists broke news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest and why they named him despite the privacy risk.They also discuss a plan by Mediahuis to cover "first-line" news with AI agents, and Dom gives his (somewhat premature) verdict on the Prince Harry and others versus Associated Newspapers privacy trial.

Atlantic Media’s chief growth officer Megha Garibaldi explained how the next phase of growth for the title needs a focus on “quality traffic” as referral sources decline across news media.Also joining the discussion with Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford was specialist media management consultant Graham Page of Q5.The Atlantic already has more than 1.4 million subscribers but Garibaldi sees plenty of scope for more growth. She also stressed that strong journalism remains the foundation of subscription growth, rather than deep discounting.Q5 head of media Graham Page highlighted the importance of publishers having cross-functional teams spanning editorial, product and commercial departments, unified around clear leadership priorities and metrics.

Media start-up Semafor reached profitability in 2025 with revenue of $40m, in the third full year after its October 2022 launch.Co-founder and editor-in-chief Ben Smith joined Press Gazette’s UK editor Charlotte Tobitt in London to discuss how the business became an overnight success in a difficult climate for media overall.Smith discussed Semafor’s expansion plans, why its initial bet on video didn’t work out, why it still doesn’t have a paywall, and shared his advice for other media business founders.