Dietmar Syantin AI Buddies from IFMS Media and the future of media

What areas of growth and encouragement will you see in 2025?

The most promising trend I’m observing is that media companies ultimately move beyond “digital-first” rhetoric to truly move towards a truly audience-centric operation. Companies remove prints from core editorial decisions and place them at the end of their workflow. The organization is also serious about subscriber engagement and retention, not just to acquire, but also to build a direct relationship with the audience.

The rise of newsletters as true revenue drivers has been particularly encouraging, especially for newsletter-only businesses. These have become new newspapers for many readers who are willing to pay a premium price for quality products. Here is something traditional news publishers can draw inspiration. Live journalism and events also rely on media brands and their market positions, but are also immature areas that present important opportunities.

What is the major impact of AI?

AI transforms newsrooms in three important ways: as editorial assistants (transcription, translation, initial editing, research, inspiration, etc.), as content creation and adaptation tools (such as everyday reports, text style or tone changes, audio script generation, etc.), and perhaps most importantly, as personalization engines. However, the real game changer could be AI companions. This is a conversational AI that is moving from “what happened” to “what should we do about it.” This could turn journalism from informational provision to an ongoing relationship focused on guidance provisions.

Monetization of AI. Is that possible?

While early adopters primarily use AI to improve efficiency and reduce costs, real revenue opportunities can be found in services such as new AI-powered products and AI-curated newsletters, audio and video content, or personalized feeds with highly relevant ads, whether they add value to their subscriptions or through advertising or sponsorships. However, personalization needs to go beyond “what” to address the “how” of content delivery and guidance services. Sharing transaction revenues with the help of AI agents can also be an interesting revenue stream. Imagine an AI buddy that allows you to discuss restaurant options with users based on your preferences and book a restaurant of your choice.

What kind of AI advice would you give to media companies?

Start small, experiment extensively, learn, and fail quickly. Always maintain human surveillance, be aware of limitations, risks, opportunities, and be transparent about AI use. Most importantly, for intelligent agents and conversational AI, systems can only work with content they already have. If there is no practical insight into journalism, so does AI systems. Or create information based on training data. This means that your content strategy needs to fit this. Focus on the editing scope first: What are your conversations with your audience?

What about big tech platforms? How should the media work with them?

The relationship with the larger platform remains complicated. They control distribution and, more importantly, referral traffic. However, newsletters and direct subscriptions, for example, can help media companies rebuild their direct audience relationships. The key is to build that direct connection, so it doesn’t completely rely on the whims of the algorithm. Unfortunately, the increased use of generative search and ChatGPT, as well as similar tools to answer people’s questions, are not even risky and poses even more risky. Media companies must find ways to protect their content and maintain clear brand and source attribution.

What innovation do you see beyond AI?

When it comes to setting up a newsroom, you’ll see a smart segmentation strategy. I organize my newsrooms around life value-based audience segments, rather than content sections where specific decisions are made. More Need than Innovation: Strict Decoupling of Printing from the Content Generation aspect of Editing Operations. Every newsroom I encounter claims to be digital first and no one thinks about printing, which is often a wishful thinking. Printing still affects decisions. The BBC User Needs Model is something that can help the newsroom become more creative and solution-oriented.

Is subscription a panacea for nurturing audiences and achieving future growth?

Subscriptions are essential to nature, but in itself is not enough. The future is a potential concern about what I call relational revenue. It provides access to guidance, experience and solutions as well as content reporting what happened. Go beyond content with access to events, services and communities alone, think of a membership model (the term was very popular and may come back from around ten years ago). After all, it’s all about adding value to people’s lives. Journalism is one fundamental component, but perceived value adds encompassing the emotional, intellectual, financial, or social benefits people pay.

How do you build a strong brand in 2025?

In my view, trust is still a foundation and even more important. It goes beyond journalism to the quality of products and experiences, excellence in service, strong innovative muscles and shared values. Especially the younger audience – we’re not talking about 18-year-olds here. We take care of reliability and purpose beyond profit. Transparency regarding AI usage, data practices and editing processes is essential.

Do you need different approaches to different markets/viewers?

One size definitely doesn’t fit all. Every media organization must consider itself a niche publisher with an additional niche under the brand. Not just research, but deep customer empathy is important. It’s about understanding values, fears, motivations, and what brings joy to their lives. Offerings must be adjusted in both format and content. The goal is to build conversational relationships supported by tools such as AI peers that reflect these deeper insights.

How does the media reach a younger audience?

First, make sure you clarify what “young” means to your brand. In most cases, “young” means over 40 years old. He is essentially a part of millennials. Second, stop trying to conform traditional formats to modern consumption habits. “Young” audiences consume the media differently. Think social-style storytelling (not necessarily tick), conversation tone, and practical utilities. They want media that will not only inform them, but also help them navigate their lives. Think about your own media habits: what do you consume and why?

What are your views on the current state of the advertising market?

Digital advertising margins remain challenging outside of major players. However, native ads and newsletter sponsorships work well when adding value and maintaining editorial integrity. The key is to create ads that add value, rather than disrupting the experience. In general, we believe that traditional digital advertising is less relevant to the overall business model. Dependencies on others are too important, and real money goes to Facebook and Google.

Have you been very successful in diversifying your new revenue?

Events and meetings are becoming the true third source of revenue for many media companies. While e-commerce related to editorial content is also promising, maintaining editorial independence and integrity remains essential. The most effective diversification strategies build on existing brand trusts and extend to adjacent services that truly help audiences.

While podcasts are extremely popular and continue to grow, monetization remains a challenge. The market is saturated with free offerings and the bars are high for quality. To convince people to pay, the content needs to be excellent and clearly differentiated. The situation is similar to a newsletter – monetization is possible, but only if the product offers consistent value and stands out in a crowded space.

Is there still a connection to printing?

The print is not dead, but it is becoming more of a premium in hyperniche. It can survive as a luxury product for a particular group of viewers who are willing to pay for it, but only if it is completely separate from digital operations. This separation allows printing to focus completely on the needs of the target audience. This can be defined not only by age but also by value and lifestyle. Even young people are increasingly exhausted by the constant flow of news on small screens. Many appreciate professionally curated experiences that provide perspective, prioritize importance and have a clear beginning and end. For some, print offers a welcome counterbalance that is much like the return of analog photography and vinyl records. It slows things down and offers a tactile and immersive experience offline. It benefits both by creating dedicated printing teams to serve these premium paying readers, allowing digital teams to focus fully on innovation and growth. Ultimately, the advertiser follows the audience wherever they are.

What about the future of media? Confidence?

We believe that media is moving quickly towards the “buddy economy” of AI fuel that will become trustworthy advisors, rather than just information providers. This is not a problem for the next 10 years. It’s happening now. In just three years, tools like ChatGpt have disrupted the media and creative industries and changed the behavior of many people. Still, the advantages of traditional media lie in curated, verified, human-savvy content in a world of AI, filled with potentially misleading and synthetic information.

What are the biggest challenges/opportunities of 2026?

Challenge: Ultimately, you’ll be free from legacy workflows that constrain digital focus and transformations. Find effective ways to protect your content and partner with language model providers.

Opportunities: AI-powered personalization and guidance services could create a whole new revenue stream. Media should shift that mindset from content distribution to relationship building and life guidance. That’s where there is one potential sustainable future.