This year’s INMA World Congress once again proved to be a highly successful global gathering for the news media industry, bringing together leaders and innovators from every continent.
Our takeaway from the conference content: the discussions hit exactly the topics that decision-makers in news organizations must have on their implementation plan.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the challenges and strategic approaches are strikingly similar worldwide, whether in Europe, North America, Down Under, or across the African continent.
In this newsletter, we highlight five key lessons that stood out at this year’s Congress.
1. Journalism Needs Depth, and It Pays Off
Journalism is more essential than ever for the functioning of democracies, especially in times of crisis.
Bob Woodward, one of the journalists who uncovered the Watergate affair, reminded the audience: excellent journalism requires depth and reliable research. It’s better to have one source too many than one too few.
What does such an observation mean for digital business models?
Our answer: it fits perfectly. Usage data from digital news platforms clearly show that success does not come from quantity but from editorial focus, depth, and modern UX.
Throughout the conference, there was frequent mention of “focus ”areas,” combined with significantly fewer articles than in traditional print editions.
2. Be Unique for Your Users—Not Just in the Race for Traffic
Chasing reach alone is a dead end. Sustainable business models depend on direct relationships with readers and users.
News organizations must prepare for a “zero-search” world, one where Google plays a much smaller role in audience discovery.
The key lies in brand strength, a clear USP, a focus on defined content areas, smart use of first-party data, and a tight integration between editorial, UX/product, and audience development.
The goal: turning traffic into customer relationships and reducing dependency on search.
In our view, these are crucial building blocks to improve habit formation and tackle the core challenge of subscription growth: high churn rates.
3. Be Unique for Advertisers, too.
The principle of knowing your customer applies to both subscription models and advertising.
Building on direct user relationships and first-party data, this principle is now shaping the advertising market as well, where advertisers increasingly expect data-driven relevance.
A good example is the “Brand Match” tool developed by The New York Times. It uses generative AI to decode advertiser briefs and match campaigns with the most suitable users and content environments.
A similar approach was presented by News24 from South Africa, which transferred the user-needs concept to the advertising side, matching client brands with specific content user needs.
Our conclusion: only through true differentiation and strong client relationships can publishers escape the price wars of the big platforms, which we can never compete with in terms of reach or efficiency.
4. Artificial Intelligence as an Enabler Across the Entire Business
Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, posed some bold and thought-provoking questions about the use of AI and its transformative impact. Consider these:
- “Will it end the web?”
- “Will we have any idea who is real or who is an agent?”
- “How much better will it make us at our jobs?”
- “What will it do to early-stage careers?”
- “What will it do to our readers, and how will people get their information in five years?”
Everyone will answer these questions a little differently. But one thing is clear: AI is fundamentally reshaping the media business.
Our recommendation: review your value chain for opportunities to enhance processes with AI applications, whether through radical innovation or incremental improvement.
5. Collaboration with Independent Storytellers
One of the most inspiring voices on stage was Noor Tagouri, a passionate advocate for independent journalists. Trained within traditional media, she eventually chose to forge her path outside of it.
Today, many independent creators, including non-journalists, have built their own communities, ranging from niche audiences to massive followings, far beyond the reach of established news organizations.
The question is, how can established media brands collaborate with these independent voices?
At the INMA Congress, discussions focused on how to create joint content, shared reach, and mutual community access without compromising editorial standards.
Outlook: INMA 2026 in Berlin
The next INMA World Congress will take place in Berlin in 2026. Our hope is that by then, every media organization will have made tangible progress on the topics discussed in New York.
Would you like to learn more?
We’d be happy to discuss these topics in more detail and share further insights.
Contact:
Patric Tongbhoyai, Partner Highberg
patric.tongbhoyai@highberg.com
