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Enders Analysis provides a subscription research service covering the media, entertainment, mobile and fixed telecommunications industries in Europe, with a special focus on new technologies and media.

Our research is independent and evidence-based, covering all sides of the market: consumers, leading companies, industry trends, forecasts and public policy & regulation. A complete list of our research can be found here.

 

Rigorous Fearless Independent

Niamh Burns, a senior research analyst at Enders Analysis, said the FT’s “high-quality” content would be attractive to OpenAI and improve its chatbot’s responses.

“Its material will be of real value to OpenAI for powering a chatbot that can output accurate, high-quality responses to user queries needing up-to-date information,” she said. “The FT’s product and brand strength also means that it is among the most insulated from any substitution risk that comes with AI products gaining steam among users.”

“I can see Amazon taking an interest because it’s much more willing to experiment than, say, Apple, and TikTok’s push into shopping would give Amazon a world of possible integrations,” said Jamie MacEwan, senior research analyst at Enders Analysis.

Even MacEwan said he doesn’t think Project Texas is a strong enough argument for why Oracle should be considered.

“It [Oracle] will struggle with the business-critical aspects, like ensuring a clean technical and operational separation from ByteDance,” MacEwan said. “And then whether TikTok needs to rebuild the algorithm or is allowed to transfer critical technology from ByteDance, you really need a strategic corporate buyer to make that a successful transition. Otherwise it’s TikTok going it alone – which also runs into the trust issue of are they truly shutting down all the backdoors as they transfer systems to the US? Either way, it will take years to get right.”

With traffic from Facebook and X to news publishers’ destinations in decline, distribution is shifting to other platforms where they have more control, such as feeds served on WhatsApp and newsletters on LinkedIn

There is no one silver bullet platform to replace Facebook, on which certain publishers became overly reliant, or X. News publishers are trying out a myriad of platforms to see which work best for the specific audiences and use-cases they are cultivating

WhatsApp and LinkedIn are still platforms that are mediated for news publishers, so risks remain. These platforms have highly differentiated alignment with the needs of enterprises producing journalism
 

The early results have been mixed, which is partially a function of timing, according to Abi Watson, senior media analyst at Enders Analysis. By the time Le Monde launched its English-language product in 2022, many members of its target audience—English-speaking news consumers with an international bent—had likely already subscribed to a primary and even secondary news source.

“They were quite late to market for an international play, especially in English language,” Watson said. “Its appeal is obviously more niche than they might have hoped at launch.”

TikTok has been dealt a devastating blow as a US bill has been signed into law forcing owner ByteDance to sell within a year or face its removal from app stores. 

The stakes are higher than in 2020—China's opposition to a divestment will make an optimal sale harder to conclude, so all sides must be prepared for a ban.   

The TikTok bill introduces extraordinary new powers in the context of the US and China's broad systemic rivalry, though online consumer benefits will be limited.  

The German football league has suspended its media rights auction after protests by DAZN over the award of the top package.

DAZN surprised the market by aiming to become the Bundesliga’s primary broadcaster.

The situation in Germany reveals the contradictory impulses weighing on leagues at rights auctions.

Big news publishers are pursuing licensing deals with AI companies, chiefly OpenAI. Not all publishers will see a substantial return; while some news may be important for training AI models, not all publisher content will be.

Litigation is a threat point when negotiations stall (see the New York Times), but the copyright status of Large Language Models (LLMs) is uncertain. In the UK, there has been no government intervention (on copyright or otherwise) that could facilitate licensing.

Publishers’ bargaining position is strongest when it comes to up-to-date material that could be important in powering some AI consumer products. They should seek deals to support their journalism, while bearing in mind the risk that new products may get between them and their readers.

Despite the changes, BBC Two is still regularly watched by more than half the TV-viewing public every month and its five per cent share compares favourably with rivals. “You’re still talking about millions of people watching,” says Tom Harrington of the media company Enders Analysis. “You compare it to 10 or 15 years ago and there’s a decline, but that’s still a lot of people.”