WAN-IFRA forms a strategic partnership with the SPUR Coalition
The announcement marks the most significant moment in the coalition’s growth since its public launch at the end of February, and signals that publisher-led action on AI is consolidating into a coordinated, international movement. SPUR is working to build a fair and transparent, well-functioning, AI licensing market for trusted journalism.
As a strategic partner, WAN-IFRA joins the coalition as an affiliate member.
“We are doing this to help ensure that publishers have a collective voice in discussions about content protection, transparency, licensing and fair value exchange in the AI era,” said Stig Ørskov, CEO of WAN-IFRA. “Over the past few days (in Marseille), we have heard publishers from every region discuss the transformations underway in our industry. One of the strongest themes emerging from this Congress has been the need for publishers to work together in shaping the future relationship between journalism and AI.
“With the new member cohort announced today, SPUR brings together 36 publishers and affiliate organisations, and it is consolidating quickly into a coordinated international movement. There is a real first-mover advantage in helping define the standards rather than inheriting them.”
CMA Media, WAN-IFRA’s strategic partner for the Congress in Marseille, also joined SPUR as a founding member.
Jean-Christophe Tortora, Deputy CEO of CMA Media, said: “By joining SPUR at board level, we are making a clear commitment to collective international action. The exceptional success of the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress in Marseille demonstrates that the world’s leading publishers are determined to open a new chapter in their relationship with technology platforms and public authorities: a ‘new deal’ based on fair value sharing, content protection, and the defense of reliable and independent journalism in the age of artificial intelligence.”
Expanding members
The European Publishers Council (EPC) also joined today along with WAN-IFRA as an affiliate member. Affiliate members now include: Digital Content Next (DCN), the Association of Online Publishers (AOP), Independent Publishers Alliance, Newsworks, the News/Media Alliance NMA US, Independent Media Association (IMA), News Media Canada, the Hungarian Publishersʼ Association, Hebdos Québec, the PPA (Professional Publishers Association) and PPA Magnetic.
Joining as standard members are: a cohort of leading Canadian media organisations: The Globe and Mail, Quebecor, Postmedia, Torstar, CBC/Radio-Canada, La Presse and TVO Media Education Group. Alongside them are: SIPA Ouest-France Group, Ringier, Citywire, Sanoma Media Finland, Der Standard, Bonnier News and FD Mediagroep.
SPUR will also welcome associate members: Times Higher Education, RNZ and AML Intelligence.
Scale matters
With these additions, SPUR will bring together 36 publishers and affiliate organisations to develop a market ecosystem that works for both publishers and AI developers. The coalition is inviting journalism organisations around the world to join in shaping how AI develops on terms that are fair, transparent and sustainable for the sector.
Anna Bateson, CEO of Guardian Media Group, one of SPUR’s founding members, said: “Welcoming 30 new members, including our first founding member from France, gives SPUR the scale required to turn its mission into a global mandate. This collective strength will help legitimise the standards we create, safeguarding the intellectual property of publishers and providing AI developers with a route to scalable, sustainable licensing.”
SPUR’s founding members – the BBC, Financial Times, Guardian Media Group, Sky News, Telegraph Media Group, CMA Media and Mediahuis – welcome the new cohort and will work alongside them on the coalition’s technical, strategic and engagement priorities.
Since launch, SPUR has made significant progress on its telemetry work: the technical infrastructure that enables publishers to see, in real time, how AI systems are using their content. The SPUR telemetry standard, which has been developed with SPUR members and technical partners, offers a framework for collaboration between content owners, AI platforms and intermediaries. We expect to launch the standard soon and will set out further details shortly.
Publishers and affiliated organisations interested in joining SPUR can get in touch with WAN-IFRA Membership Director Kim Svendsen (kim.svendsen@wan-ifra.org).
