Dozen express interest in 27% stake in The Economist
At least a dozen parties, including ultra-wealthy individuals and media companies, have shown preliminary interest in purchasing a 27% stake in The Economist, report Dawn Kopecki and Amy-Jo Crowley of Reuters. Kopecki and Crowley report, “Founded in 1843, the publication has nearly 1,000 shareholders, with Exor, a holding vehicle for Italy’s Agnelli family, owning a 43.4% stake and the […]
The Economist reports revenue, profit increase
The Economist reported revenue and profit growth for the six months to September, reports Charlotte Tobitt of Press Gazette. Tobitt reports, “The Economist Group has published half-year results for the six months to 30 September, with revenue up 4% to £170.3m in the period (or up 7% at constant currency) and profit before tax up 28% […]
Heir apparent at The Economist resigns
The Economist foreign editor Patrick Foulis, once considered a strong candidate to succeed Zanny Minton Beddoes, long-time editor-in-chief, has resigned, reports Lachlan Cartwright of Breaker. Cartwright reports, “But we are told that Foulis walked because he was frustrated at the lack of clarity over a succession plan for the editorship. Minton Beddoes took over from John […]
Economist, FT and Dow Jones licensing content for private LLMs
The Economist, the Financial Times and Dow Jones & Co. are licensing their content to private large language models, reports Jessica Davies of Digiday. Davies reports, “The Economist is among those to start licensing its content this way — having opened its API to corporate clients with their own data ring-fenced LLMs this August. “The Financial Times […]
Why The Economist is launching a newsletter on Substack
Madeleine White of The Audiencers looks at why The Economist has launched a data journalism newsletter on Substack. White writes, “The idea to launch “Off the Charts” on Substack was born from a great collaboration between the editorial and commercial teams. The core idea? To find a new way to reach potential readers who are interested […]
Stake in The Economist is for sale
British philanthropist and investor Lynn Forester de Rothschild has put her family’s entire 26.7% stake in The Economist up for sale, reports Sara Fischer of Axios. Fischer reports, “Rothschild’s stake includes around 20% in voting shares, which is the cap for any single owner in the business. “The sellers anticipate the family’s full stake to be valued at […]
The Economist plans for an AI-generated future
Economist president Luke Bradley-Jones spoke to Jessica Davies of Digiday about how the publication plans to grow its revenue in a future dominated by artificial intelligence. Davies writes, “Unlike many publishers securing AI licensing deals, The Economist is going against the grain – keeping its journalism off-limits and actively blocking AI bots from scraping its content, via its […]
The Economist is launching video product
The Economist announced Thursday the launch of “The Economist Insider,” a new video product. The first episodes will appear on Oct. 9. Insider will feature twice-weekly shows hosted by The Economist’s senior editors. Episodes will also feature extended guest interviews with world leaders, thinkers and policymakers, debating their views with Economist journalists. “The Insider,” a […]
Why The Economist isn’t signing any AI deals
The Economist has not licensed its content to AI platforms like ChatGPT because it considers them to be a competitor publishing platform, reports Charlotte Tobitt of Press Gazette. Tobitt writes, “However The Economist’s president Luke Bradley-Jones said AI chatbots may prove useful for brand visibility as a shopfront for what the brand does. “Bradley-Jones was the opening speaker at […]
Minority stake in The Economist could be sold
Lynn Forester de Rothschild is exploring a sale of a significant minority stake in The Economist Group, marking the first ownership shake-up in a decade at the 182-year-old magazine, reports Katherine Griffiths and Aaron Kirchfeld of Bloomberg News. Griffiths and Kirchfeld report, “A sale process for around 20% in voting shares could kick off in […]
