What We Learned at the INMA World Congress 2025

The International News Media Association (INMA) World Congress 2025 brought together leading voices in media to explore the most critical topics reshaping the industry today. From digital transformation and audience engagement to the adoption of AI and the future of content strategy, the discussions painted a vivid picture of an evolving media landscape. But beyond the challenges, the event also showcased innovative solutions and forward-thinking strategies that can help the media industry stay fit for fight. Here are some of the key takeaways we brought home with us.

CNN is redefining its business model with a focus on streaming and live digital content. Sir Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, announced a strategic shift for CNN.com. Starting this autumn, the platform will feature streaming programming, bringing live coverage directly to digital audiences globally. This move is another great example of a major news media giant transitioning towards becoming a multimedia hybrid.

Thompson emphasized CNN’s core strength in video and live news coverage. By shifting more of this content to CNN.com, the company aims to adapt to global digital consumption habits. However, CNN is not simply replicating its traditional broadcasts online. The strategy involves optimising streaming offerings for mobile devices, connected TVs, and other platforms, ensuring CNN’s content is accessible to anyone, anytime, on any device. Bringing a multimodal production view into their storytelling.

So rather than expanding content production, CNN plans to refine its existing workflows – building a setup that supports the multimodal content production. Reporting teams will create dynamic content that serves both live broadcasts and online platforms, maximising the value of their work without decreasing output. CNN’s transformation towards becoming a multimedia hybrid underscores the importance of understanding where audiences are moving – and how big media companies like CNN is now strategically changing the way they work to meet the audience in a space, where content is tailored, engaging, and easy to access.

It is not only CNN who sees the moments in the market. More than ever, the way audiences consume news is rapidly evolving, and leading editors have shared their strategies for adapting to these shifting dynamics. A key topic of discussion at the INMA Congress was the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern newsrooms, with editors highlighting both its challenges and opportunities. AI tools, for instance, can automate repetitive tasks such as sorting archives or summarising content, allowing journalists to focus on deeper, investigative work. However, strategic integration of AI is crucial. And this was one of the biggest regrets from senior executives: not to have thought of AI in a strategic manner earlier than they did.

Instead of forcing AI into every step of the process, as some organisations have done, it was evident on stage how vital it is to ensure that its implementation aligns with journalistic goals and enhances, rather than detracts from, the purpose of journalism. From a Stibo DX perspective, this is exactly the foundation we chose to build Autopilot on. To make sure that the balance of trust in AI and content curation is minimized as a risk and that AI governance is in place. With trust from audiences being one of the biggest currencies in the industry, there is no doubt that the right and strategic implementation of AI is needed, rather than the quickest.

These insights underscore the importance of flexibility and innovation in newsroom operations, a goal supported by platforms like CUE, which offer strong workflows and AI solutions to help newsrooms adapt to these evolving dynamics.

For media organisations to stay relevant, connecting with younger audiences is vital. However, trust in traditional institutions, particularly among Gen Z, is at an all-time low.

Mitchell Gaylord of The Washington Post noted that Gen Z gets a significant portion of news from social media. To build trust and engagement among younger audiences, media companies need to adapt. Again, here we dive into the convergence of formats based on audience preferences, where we at Stibo DX work on making content formatting as fluent as possible, with AI as an enabler through the entire production line, from ideation to distribution.

“People trust faces,” said Anna-Katharina Kölbl of Germany’s Funke Mediengruppe. Establishing authentic connections with audiences through approachable personalities and influencers will drive engagement. But it calls for platforms that are enabling journalists to cater for both majorities and minorities in one workflow.

Simply reposting an article on social media is no longer enough. Content must align with the unique characteristics of each platform, whether it’s short, emotional clips for TikTok or in-depth threads for Twitter.  And that is where a solid inheritance model that plays well with your distribution network, comes into play. Media organisations must reflect audience diversity in both content and talent, with a tech foundation that can support it seamlessly, to build meaningful, lasting relationships with future consumers. At FUNKE, that is supported by the CUE platform.

The days of chasing traffic as a measure of success are soon to be over. Instead, the focus is shifting to building meaningful, long-term relationships with audiences – and defining the relationship with AI companies to establish a revenue model that makes sense for both parties.

Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones, strongly emphasised placing “people, not traffic” at the centre of organisational priorities, no matter what. Because if you lose sight of the people by measuring them as traffic, you have already lost.

Meanwhile a focus on maximising the legacy business persisted at INMA. Print and cable operations remain profitable for many, but inefficiency is no longer tolerable. Automating operations and optimising resources will free capacity for digital growth initiatives. One solution represented at the event was CUE Print Automation.

Lastly, effective storytelling and targeted marketing strategies are key to exploring new revenue channels, such as subscriptions and sponsorships. Collaboration between editorial and marketing teams can bolster outcomes, as demonstrated by The Wall Street Journal.

With platforms like CUE, our vision aligns with these strategies. Our raison d’ëtré is to empower media and their newsroom operations to become more efficient while enabling organisations to build meaningful connections with their audiences. In one single platform, with a strong, flexible editorial workflow at the center.

One of the most striking moments at the Congress came during a panel of CEOs discussing what they wished they had done differently in recent years. The unanimous answer? They wished they had acted on AI sooner. AI is no longer a future consideration; it’s transforming media businesses today.

AI got its shine when it came to efficiency in business: Automating layouts, media planning, or summaries with AI can significantly enhance operational speed and reduce overhead costs.

The rapid decline of traditional search engines and the rise of AI-powered answer engines are just as well reshaping how users interact with content. Being prepared for these shifts is critical. And based on the reactions from the room, not many are ready for search traffic to drop to almost nothing within the coming 2 years, as predicted by a leading search engine executive.

However, CEOs stress the value of creating “true scarcity” in journalism. By carefully managing content availability, organisations can preserve the value of their work and drive deeper engagement. If content is always available everywhere, people might take it for granted. But if it’s harder to get – or only available on carefully chosen platforms – its value increases.

For media groups, AI implementation is no longer optional. Understanding it, experimenting with it, and integrating it strategically will define future success.

The INMA Congress 2025 underscored the urgent need for media organisations to adapt, innovate, and engage. From prioritizing digital transformation to building trust with younger audiences and integrating AI strategically, the discussions offered a roadmap for navigating the challenges and opportunities ahead.