Why do media organisations subscribe to the FT?

In order to support their business and team's expertise, media organisations turn to the FT as an essential business tool. This post explores how an FT Group Subscription can further support just some of the key roles in media.

Wherever they operate, journalists are subject to a never-ending churn of news and world developments — remaining up-to-date with the latest stories is no easy feat. From identifying industry trends or reacting to breaking news, it is essential to remain well-informed and cross-reference their sources with other editorial outlets.

FT journalists are widely recognised for their ability to collaborate and produce trusted, quality journalism. Through access to FT.com, organisations gain access to premium content from over 600 journalists around the world.

With an FT Group Subscription journalists are equipped with a source of shared intelligence and analysis. Journalists such as Corriere della Sera’s network of correspondents benefit from gaining a balanced perspective on today’s biggest stories.

It's essential for senior managers to have the right intelligence at their disposal in order to make the right strategic decisions. In media organisations, those at a senior level face challenges such as identifying and mitigating external risks. By keeping track of emerging trends, media leaders form a big-picture view of their industry to solidify strategic business decisions.

Executive teams rely on the FT to stay informed about the latest industry regulations and government media legislation. For instance, the FT has recently reported on potential plans for the UK government to privatise the broadcaster Channel 4 under new ownership. As a whole, this potentially threatens the UK’s independent media production sector — causing concern for the entire industry as this could then lead to a reform of a wider regulatory framework for public service media.

By using the FT.com to remain aware of developments like this, senior leadership can safeguard their strategies. FT articles provide senior managers with an in-depth yet broad perspective on topics relevant to their industry.

The premium features available through an FT Group Subscription help subscribers cut through noise and receive shorter bursts of insight. The selected newsletters below deliver clear and concise analysis for greater confidence in making decisions based on industry and news events.

• Lex is a twice weekly premium newsletter offering subscribers an opportunity to catch up with the financial commentary and review from Lex’s centres around the world. Lex is run by an award-winning team across four time zones and helps readers make better investment decisions by highlighting key risks and opportunities.

• Moral Money is the trusted destination for news and analysis about the fast-expanding world of socially responsible business, sustainable finance, impact investing, environmental, social and governance (ESG) trends, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

• Trade Secrets is the FT’s must-read daily briefing on the changing face of international trade and globalisation. From Monday to Thursday, this premium newsletter explains and analyses the top news stories from around the world, and takes readers behind the scenes of critical developments.

In addition to the newsletters mentioned above, Disrupted Times is an essential FT newsletter focusing on business and the economy in a world transformed by the pandemic. Delivered to subscriber’s inboxes three times a week, readers can expect updates on the Coronavirus economic impact, and vaccination and treatment developments.

The media space was already facing a darkening economic outlook well before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. For commercial teams to continue to sustain revenue streams, a 360° view of emerging trends and potential risks within their own sector, as well as client industries is crucial. An FT Group Subscription helps client-facing teams to develop a strong sense of commercial awareness — by showcasing an in-depth knowledge of customer problems and business challenges, commercial teams can better position themselves as trusted partners to their clients.

By understanding emerging macro trends, commercial teams can react faster to either exploit new opportunities or mitigate anything that could represent a risk to them or a client. For example, a recent news story by Alistair Gray, the FT’s US consumer correspondent has revealed that outdoor advertising spending is predicted to remain below pandemic levels. Yet with digital advertising, Ogilvy and GroupM says revenues have returned to pre-pandemic levels faster than expected. With this knowledge, subscribers in advertising teams can best direct their client’s budget into spaces offering the greatest return on investment.

When commercial teams look for specific information to assist with client advice, tools like myFT allows individuals to follow topics relevant to them. For example, topics may include Digital Media, Advertising, or thousands of individual companies, industry sectors and regions of interest. Subscribers can also create email alerts for specific topics, new stories or create their own tailored email newsletter.

Additionally, commercial teams with FT.com access benefit from deep-dives into key topics and trends. For example, the FT Special Reports on the Future of Marketing focuses on the ‘cookie apocalypse’ in online advertising, challenges faced by global ad agencies and new technology developments in the advertising space.

Over 4000 organisations around the world rely on an FT Group Subscription to provide genuine business insights, when they need them and on the platforms and devices they use most.

Help your team make better business decisions with the FT’s trusted commentary and analysis. For more information about how the Financial Times can help your organisation or to request a free trial, please get in touch.