In May 2024, News Corp — the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, The Times of London, and a dozen other publications across four continents — signed a multi-year licensing agreement with OpenAI worth up to $250 million over five years, according to the Wall Street Journal's own reporting.
It was the largest single AI content licensing deal in publishing history. It was not the last.
In the 18 months since, AI companies have signed multimillion-dollar agreements with at least two dozen named publishers. Some are receiving cash. Some are receiving cash plus OpenAI API credits. Some are receiving access to model partnerships in exchange for content rights. All of them are operating under the same unstated assumption: it is better to take the money than to fight the structural shift.
This is the running accounting of who took the money — and what it tells us about the new publisher business model.
The Deals — Confirmed and Publicly Reported
News Corp — OpenAI (May 2024). Up to $250 million over five years. Covers The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch, Investor's Business Daily, the New York Post, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Australian, news.com.au, The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, and dozens of regional Australian titles. Source: WSJ via Variety.
News Corp — Meta (March 2026). Up to $50 million per year over three years ($150M total). Access to WSJ and News Corp brands for Meta AI chatbot and model training. Source: Wall Street Journal via The Media Copilot.
Axel Springer — OpenAI (December 2023). Reported at ~$13 million per year over three years (~$39M total). Covers Business Insider, Politico, Bild, Welt, and other Axel Springer titles. [Source: The Information / multiple]
Financial Times — OpenAI (April 2024). Reported at $5–10 million per year. Multi-year content licensing covering FT archive and current reporting.
Associated Press — OpenAI (July 2023). Two-year licensing deal — the first major news organization to sign with OpenAI. Financial terms not publicly disclosed.
Vox Media — OpenAI (June 2024). Multi-year deal covering Vox, The Verge, New York Magazine, Eater, and SB Nation. Terms undisclosed.
The Atlantic — OpenAI (June 2024). Multi-year content partnership. Terms undisclosed.
Le Monde — OpenAI (March 2024). Five-year deal. Terms undisclosed.
Prisa Media — OpenAI (March 2024). Covers El País, AS, Cinco Días, and other Prisa titles. Spanish-language content. Terms undisclosed.
Dotdash Meredith — OpenAI (May 2024). Covers People, InStyle, Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes, and the broader Meredith portfolio.
Condé Nast — OpenAI (August 2024). Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Wired, Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, and the full Condé portfolio.
Hearst — OpenAI (October 2024). Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, and the Hearst Magazines portfolio.
Reddit — Google (February 2024). Approximately $60 million per year for API access for training and search use. Source: Associated Press.
Reddit — OpenAI (May 2024). Terms undisclosed.
Shutterstock — OpenAI (multiple deals 2023–2024). Image and video content licensing.
Stack Overflow — OpenAI (May 2024). Developer content licensing.
Meta — CNN, Fox News, USA Today, People, NBC News (various 2024–25). Multi-publisher licensing portfolio for Meta AI chatbot training.
News Corp — Apple (announced October 2025). Robert Thomson confirmed a "significant" partnership at The Times Tech Summit in London, per Storyboard18.
The Holdouts — Companies Suing Instead
The New York Times filed suit against OpenAI and Microsoft in December 2023. The case has survived motions to dismiss and is now in discovery and pre-trial under Judge Sidney Stein in the Southern District of New York. The Times reportedly seeks damages in the billions. The case is widely expected to become the test precedent for the AI fair-use doctrine.
New York Daily News, Center for Investigative Reporting, Mother Jones, Reveal, The Intercept, AlterNet, Raw Story, Denver Post, Chicago Tribune — all joined or filed separate suits against OpenAI and/or Microsoft alleging copyright infringement.
Disney, NBCUniversal, and other major studio holdouts — taking a wait-and-see position before either licensing or litigating.
The Authors Guild and dozens of bestselling authors (Sept 2023) — class action against OpenAI on behalf of authors. John Grisham, Jonathan Franzen, George R.R. Martin, John Grisham named plaintiffs.
Universal Music Group, Concord, ABKCO — class action against Anthropic seeking $75 million+ in statutory damages
