Exclusive: Reuters, Gannett to sell bundled subscriptions
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Reuters, the global newswire, and Gannett, America's largest local newspaper company, are launching a new content bundle, executives told Axios.
Why it matters: The partnership opens up a new content syndication revenue stream for Gannett and expands Reuters' reach into local news.
How it works: The new bundle, available in the first quarter of 2025, will be sold by Reuters; Gannett will get a cut of the sales revenue, Gannett chief content officer Kristin Roberts told Axios.
- Customers can access Reuters' national and international coverage, combined via a bundle with Gannett's national news coverage from USA Today and its local news coverage from the more than 200 national publications within its USA Today Network.
- The bundle will include feeds of ready-to-publish stories, photos, graphics and video from both entities for media companies to license. It won't include access to games and puzzles from Gannett's newspaper brands, said Alphonse Hardel, the head of Reuters News Agency.
- Reuters stories accessed via the bundle will be attributed to Reuters. Gannett stories will be attributed to the USA Today Network and the publishers that are a part of it.
Zoom in: The primary target customers for the offering are U.S. regional and local publishers and broadcasters, said Hardel, although national and international news companies looking to beef up their local U.S. coverage could also be a good fit.
- While Reuters does cover some U.S. local news, it doesn't have the breadth of local reporters that Gannett has, which limits its coverage around things like local sports.
- "I think there are opportunities for us to be serving other local media companies in our competitive set, as well as very, very small organizations that are looking for national, state or regional content," Roberts added.
- She also noted that the bundle could also be a good opportunity for larger video companies or digital news companies that need access to local text-based stories or infographics.
State of play: For many smaller regional or local news companies, content licensing deals with wire services are critical for delivering broader news to their audiences at a fraction of the cost.
- Roberts said the new bundle allows smaller media companies with limited budgets to access more content at an affordable price.
The big picture: The partnership between Gannett and Reuters is underpinned by a similar commitment by both brands to non-partisan coverage.
- While Gannett's news brands do have opinion sections, the company declined endorsements in the 2024 presidential race.
- Because Reuters is heavily reliant on licensing its content to other news and tech firms, the company has always prioritized accuracy and independence over opinion coverage.
Flashback: Gannett and McClatchy, another large local newspaper chain, both ended their content licensing partnerships with their traditional wire service partner, The Associated Press, last year.
What to watch: The Reuters deal opens access to a new content licensing and syndication business for Gannett, which is critical as the company tries to grow and diversify in the digital era.
- Gannett's business strategy since combining with GateHouse in 2019 has been to focus on digital subscription growth and advertising. Even in the AI era, it hasn't focused as much on licensing deals.
- For Reuters, the deal helps to expand its customer set to more U.S. publishers and expand its local coverage ahead of a new administration.
- Reuters' business is mostly dependent on content licensing already, which is why it's taking the lead in selling the bundle.
