Reuters Institute 2025 Digital News Report
The report shows a continued decline in traditional news use, growth in video and social, early adoption of AI tools among younger users, and use of established brands to fact-check.
The 2025 edition of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, based on nearly 100,000 respondents across 48 markets, shows a continued shift in how people access and engage with news. Traditional formats are in long-term decline, younger audiences are moving even faster toward video and social platforms, and alternative media personalities and AI tools are starting to play larger roles in shaping news experiences.
Here’s a teardown of the report’s key findings:
Declining Reach for Traditional News Outlets
In most markets, use of television, print, and news websites continues to fall. In the United States, for the first time, more people report getting news from social and video platforms (54%) than from TV (50%) or news websites (48%). The so-called “Trump bump” from 2016, which temporarily increased engagement across formats, has not reappeared. This time, gains are seen only in social and video channels, not in traditional media.
Key takeaway: In the U.S., social and video platforms have overtaken TV and websites as the main source of news—traditional formats continue to lose share.
Rise of Influencers and Alternative News Figures
One-fifth of U.S. respondents (22%) saw or heard podcaster Joe Rogan discussing the news in the week after the inauguration. Lower levels of reach, but still significant, are reported for figures like Redacted, Dr John Campbell, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Danny Jones. In France, 22% of under-35s watch HugoDécrypte, while in Thailand, TikTokers and YouTubers command large audiences with news-related content. These figures tend to reach younger men and those with lower trust in legacy media.
Key takeaway: Figures like Joe Rogan, HugoDécrypte, and others are now matching or exceeding the reach of traditional media, especially among young men.
AI Chatbots and Generative Tools: Small but Growing
Chatbots are emerging as a news access point. Globally, 7% use them weekly for news, and this rises to 15% among under-25s. People show some interest in AI-enhanced services like summarisation (27%) and language translation (24%). But the public remains sceptical overall, expecting AI to make news faster and cheaper but also less accurate and less trustworthy.
Key takeaway: 7% use chatbots weekly for news, rising to 15% among under-25s—generative AI is starting to reshape how younger audiences access information.
Platform Shifts: Video Is Dominant
Video has overtaken other formats in several key ways. Social video news consumption has risen to 65%, up from 52% in 2020. TikTok is the fastest-growing platform, now used by 17% globally for news. YouTube is used by 30% for news, with particularly strong reach in countries like India, Kenya, and the Philippines. This shift reflects broader consumer preference: 31% say they prefer to watch news, while 15% prefer to listen.
Key takeaway: Social video use for news has jumped to 65%, with TikTok and YouTube leading—video is now the primary format in several global markets.
Changing Use of X (formerly Twitter)
X’s overall news reach has held steady or increased in some markets, including the U.S. (+8pp). But its user base has shifted politically. In the U.S. and UK, right-leaning users have grown while progressive users have dropped off. Rival networks like Bluesky and Threads have made little headway. For many publishers, X is becoming less central—but may still be influential with specific audiences.
Key takeaway: X has not lost total reach but now serves a more right-leaning, younger male audience—shifting its role in the news ecosystem.
Trust and Verification Patterns
When verifying information, people still rely primarily on trusted news brands and public broadcasters. Despite the growing use of social and AI tools for news, traditional sources remain the top destination for checking whether content is accurate. This holds true across age groups, though younger users also use social and AI sources proportionately more.
Key takeaway: Even as usage patterns shift, people still turn to established media and public broadcasters to verify news they suspect may be false.
Subscription and Revenue Observations
The proportion of people paying for online news is unchanged at 18% across 20 wealthier countries. Norway (42%) and Sweden (31%) lead in payment rates, while the U.S. sits at 20%. In Southern and Eastern Europe, the figures are much lower—6% in Croatia and 7% in Greece and Serbia. This suggests subscription models remain flat and may have limited potential in some regions.
Key takeaway: Only 18% pay for news in richer countries, unchanged from last year—indicating plateaued subscription growth with little movement in new markets.
Key Format Preferences
Text remains the most common way to consume news (55%), but preferences are shifting. Video (31%) and audio (15%) have become more popular, especially among younger audiences. In countries like India and the Philippines, watching is already more popular than reading. Even in text-stronghold markets like Germany and the UK, young people are moving toward other formats.
Key takeaway: Video and audio formats are growing, especially with younger users—text is still preferred overall but shows generational decline.
The 2025 Digital News Report captures a media environment in flux. Publishers are operating in a world of platform resets, shifting audience habits, and emerging tools—where traditional models still carry weight in trust and verification, but new behaviours are being shaped by video, AI, and creators.
The full report can be downloaded here.
