{"slug": "nine-ceo-confident-new-ai-laws-will-deliver-publishing-growth-as-network-cuts", "title": "Nine CEO Confident New AI Laws Will Deliver Publishing Growth as Network Cuts Costs", "summary": "Nine Entertainment CEO Matt Stanton said new Australian media bargaining laws will unlock a 'world of growth in publishing' as the company cuts more than $160 million in costs, with full-year net profit from continuing businesses at $142 million. The laws impose levies on Google and Meta if they fail to strike commercial deals with Australian news outlets, and Nine has signed an AI licensing agreement with Microsoft's Copilot. Stanton's dual bet is that regulatory pressure forces platform payments while AI deals open a new revenue stream, though analysts remain cautious about untested enforcement.", "body_md": "**August 26, 2026**, (Inside AI) — **Nine Entertainment** is betting that new media bargaining laws will unlock a “world of growth in publishing,” even as the company slashes more than **$160 million** in costs across its newsrooms.\n\nChief executive **Matt Stanton** told analysts on Wednesday that the recently passed legislation, which imposes levies on global tech platforms that fail to strike commercial deals with Australian news outlets, should compel **Google** and **Meta** to contribute amounts comparable to their previous 2021 arrangement.\n\n“There’s a number of variables that fly around, not just in news media bargaining, but yes, there is a world of growth in publishing,” Stanton said.\n\nThe upbeat outlook arrives during a painful restructuring. Nine announced a redundancy program at **The Sydney Morning Herald** and **The Age** after a prolonged advertising slump hit the metropolitan mastheads. The company’s business title, **The Australian Financial Review**, was spared and remains a robust revenue earner.\n\n## AI Deals Join Bargaining Code as Revenue Levers\n\nBeyond the bargaining code, Stanton said Nine has a “good pipeline” of AI deals after signing an agreement allowing **Microsoft’s Copilot** to access its content. The move reflects a broader industry shift where publishers monetize archives and journalism through licensing to large language model providers.\n\nNine reported broadly flat revenue from publishing and a small decline from streaming and broadcast, despite a record result for **Stan**. Full-year net profit from continuing businesses was **$142 million**.\n\nThe new laws, passed by Parliament last week, create a levy mechanism for platforms that refuse to negotiate. That shifts leverage back to publishers after Meta walked away from news payments in 2024, triggering industry-wide cost cuts.\n\n## Cost Discipline Meets Structural Decline\n\nStanton said Nine is focusing on “growth assets,” including newly acquired digital outdoor media company **QMS**, while reducing exposure to “structurally challenged and smaller assets.” The strategy mirrors moves by global publishers like **News Corp** and **Gannett**, which have paired AI licensing with aggressive cost controls.\n\nAnalysts remain cautious. The bargaining code’s enforcement mechanisms are untested, and platform resistance could delay payments. Nine’s television network remains weighed down by weak advertising, and no timeline was given for when AI deals would materially offset declines.\n\nStill, Stanton’s framing suggests a dual bet: regulatory pressure forces platform payments, while AI licensing opens a new revenue stream. Whether either delivers at scale remains the central question for Nine’s next fiscal year.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nine-ceo-confident-new-ai-laws-will-deliver-publishing-growth-as-network-cuts", "canonical_source": "https://insideai.news/news/ai-in-business/nine-ceo-confident-new-ai-laws-will-deliver-publishing-growth-as-network-cuts-costs/8902/", "published_at": "2026-08-26 05:10:53+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-26 05:14:35.934619+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "generative-ai", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Nine Entertainment", "Matt Stanton", "Google", "Meta", "Microsoft", "The Sydney Morning Herald", "The Age", "The Australian Financial Review"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nine-ceo-confident-new-ai-laws-will-deliver-publishing-growth-as-network-cuts", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nine-ceo-confident-new-ai-laws-will-deliver-publishing-growth-as-network-cuts.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nine-ceo-confident-new-ai-laws-will-deliver-publishing-growth-as-network-cuts.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nine-ceo-confident-new-ai-laws-will-deliver-publishing-growth-as-network-cuts.jsonld"}}