For Reuters, the future lies in building direct relationships with subscribers.

Phil Andraos, the company’s general manager/digital, sat down for a fireside chat with conference co-moderator and INMA’s Digital Platform Initiative Lead Robert Whitehead, at the INMA Media Subscriptions Summit in Amsterdam on Thursday. 

Whitehead opened the conversation referencing the metaphorical “fire” in the room and the idea of sharing a glass of wine over the virtual books.

They discussed Reuters’ transition to a direct-to-consumer model and the strategy driving this change. Whitehead compared it to the shift of cable channels toward streaming — a strategic decision to respond to the market changes.

Andraos emphasised that this transition is not a reaction to short-term market pressure but a long-term plan to build a more sustainable business model.

“We’ve seen that relying solely on advertising is no longer enough,” he said. “Diversifying revenue streams through subscriptions and partnerships has become essential.”

Reuters has had a direct-to-consumer presence since the mid-1990s, but the company introduced a registration wall in 2020 and formally launched a subscription offering in 2024. The goal is to target globally minded knowledge workers, typically aged 35 and older, who are already willing to pay for high-quality news.

The subscription pricing strategy is designed to be simple and transparent. Subscriptions are available at US$1 a week on the web, US$4 a month on the app, and €4 annually for European markets. Reuters also participates in Apple News+, offering a curated version of its content for users who prefer bundled access.

Andraos highlighted that support from the newsroom has been strong. Journalists see the commercial success as a way to fund more in-depth reporting and strengthen Reuters’ position as a provider of fact-based journalism.

“The goal is to keep journalists employed and growing the newsroom,” he said.

He stressed the importance of hiring new people to bring new perspectives and learn from each other: “Masters had to be a good student, so you had to learn a lot, and a lot of my colleagues had a lot of experience also. So we worked very hard and looked at others.”

Reuters’ strategy reflects a broader industry trend toward balancing advertising with direct reader revenue. By focusing on quality content, a clear value proposition, and transparent pricing, Reuters aims to secure long-term growth while maintaining its reputation for trusted news.

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