Storyfinding

News Publishers See Significant ROI ​from AI ‍Implementation, New ‌Report​ Reveals

Düsseldorf, ‍Germany – A ⁣new report⁣ from WAN-IFRA details how news publishers globally are⁤ realizing tangible value from artificial intelligence (AI) implementation, ranging from substantial revenue increases to streamlined ‌workflows and expanded⁢ audience reach. The⁤ “Publishers’ Perspective on the AI Value Equation,” WAN-IFRA’s​ 6th report on the ‌topic,showcases⁤ diverse‍ applications of AI across ‌newsrooms,demonstrating ⁤its potential to‍ both enhance⁣ journalistic efforts and bolster business performance.

The⁢ report highlights a⁢ spectrum of successes, categorized by ‌”hard” ⁣and “soft” ROI. Several ⁤publishers have already⁣ seen significant ‍financial gains.​ Such as, The Sydney morning Herald in Australia experienced a ⁣75 percent lift in front-page subscription sales through real-time personalization.United Daily News in Taiwan achieved 200 percent ⁣growth in ad performance, subscription conversions, and engagement through AI-driven​ ad optimization, curation, and ‍recommendations. Asiaone ​ in Singapore boosted revenue by 20 percent ‌and reduced sales staff by 40⁣ percent with‌ an AI classification model improving ad targeting.

Beyond revenue, ​AI is also improving operational efficiency. South China⁤ Morning Post in Hong Kong is saving over 300⁢ hours monthly using AI for ⁢summarization, editing, translation,‌ and investigative work.Legit.ng in Nigeria halved translation times⁣ and expanded its ⁣Hausa-language coverage, while also improving fact-checking and distribution.

The report also details applications focused on enhancing journalistic capabilities. The Financial Times‘ ⁤Storyfinding team utilizes AI to identify patterns in large datasets, supporting investigative journalism. La ⁢Nación in ⁣Argentina employed a custom AI pipeline to analyze the speeches of President Javier Milei, tracking rhetorical patterns. NTM in Sweden launched Toppnyheter, an AI-powered audio news service extending editorial oversight and ​audience reach.

large publishers are also making enterprise-wide investments. Gannett, parent company of‌ USA Today, is embedding ​AI‍ across its 200-plus publications, focusing on ⁢workflow integration,‍ training,​ and new tools.⁢

“For us, AI is ⁤not about replacing journalists – it’s about giving them more time to do real journalism,” said ‍Rahaman Abiola, Editor-in-Chief of legit.ng. Jessica⁢ Davis, Vice President of⁢ News Automation and AI Product at Gannett, echoed this sentiment, stating, “The real risk isn’t AI replacing you. It’s someone using AI replacing you.”

WAN-IFRA members can download the report for free at https://www.wan-ifraknowledgehub.org/reports1/where-publishers-are-seeing-ai’s-real-value-%E2%80%93-so-far.non-members and trade press can⁣ inquire⁣ about access ‍by emailing WAN-IFRA customer service at cic@wan-ifra.org.