Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Jim McMahon (Labour) on Thursday, 4 December 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 December 2025. It was answered by Ian Murray (Labour) on Monday, 15 December 2025 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Newspaper Press: Internet

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the notional lost revenue to newspapers of online platforms using content without payment in return.

Answer

The challenges of quantifying the value exchange between newspapers and online platforms have been explored by a number of studies, including the independent Cairncross Review into sustainable journalism and advice from the CMA and Ofcom on how a digital markets regime might govern the relationship between platforms and content providers such as news publishers.


Regardless of the exact transfer of value, the imbalanced commercial relationship between newspapers and online platforms has been raised as a key driver in the financial sustainability challenges facing news publishers in recent years. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (2024) gave new powers to the Competition and Markets Authority to boost competition in digital markets and help rebalance the relationship between online platforms and the businesses which rely on their services, including news publishers. The Government will continue to monitor this relationship and whether further action is required to ensure a level playing field with online platforms as AI and other new technologies continue to disrupt the market.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
97215
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Finance Internet Newspaper press
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk