Social media overtakes news websites as AI reshapes global media

The Digital News Report 2026, which surveyed news consumers in 48 countries, found that 54% of respondents used social media and video platforms for news, compared with 51% who accessed news through the websites and apps of news organisations.

This marks the first time that external platforms have become more popular than digital channels directly owned by news outlets.

The trend follows several years of declining news use through television, websites and news apps. The report found that use of news websites and apps has fallen by 12 percentage points since 2020, while television news consumption has dropped by 13 percentage points over the same period.

The report describes this shift as part of “platformisation”, in which news consumption is increasingly driven by intermediary platforms, including social media, video platforms and AI. These channels are taking on a larger role in connecting news producers with audiences.

AI chatbots emerge as a new route to news

The report found that the use of AI chatbots for news remains at an early stage but is continuing to grow. The share of people using AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Gemini for news rose from 7% in 2025 to 10% in 2026.

Use is concentrated among people with a strong interest in news and among younger audiences. Among those under 35, 16% reported using AI chatbots to follow the news.

The most popular feature is the ability to ask follow-up questions for deeper information or further explanation. Some 42% of users identified this as a key benefit of using AI to follow news.

However, the report noted that the use of AI for news is growing more slowly than AI use for other purposes. Trust in news-related information from AI chatbots also remains low, with only 20% of respondents globally trusting AI-generated answers about news.

Media industry watches impact of AI search

Another major issue highlighted in the report is concern within the media industry over what has been described as “Google Zero”. The term refers to a scenario in which users receive answers from search engines or AI systems without needing to click through to the original news website.

The report cited data from analytics company Chartbeat, which found that traffic from Google Search to more than 2,500 news websites worldwide fell by 33% between November 2024 and November 2025. In the United States, the decline reached 38%.

Although the report did not conclude that AI was solely responsible for the fall, it indicated that the growth of AI search, AI Overviews and new forms of search is intensifying concern among media operators worldwide over the future of digital traffic and revenue.

Online video becomes a core news format

The report found that news consumers globally are turning increasingly to video, with 77% of respondents watching online news videos every week.

In 45 of the 48 countries surveyed, more people now watch online news than traditional television news. Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands were the only countries where television still retained a leading role or remained broadly comparable.

This growth is taking place almost entirely on external platforms, particularly YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. By contrast, video viewing through the websites and apps of news organisations fell by 5 percentage points over the past year.

YouTube remains the most influential video platform for news, used by 34% of respondents. Instagram followed at 26%, while TikTok stood at 20%. Facebook remained the largest overall news platform, used by 43% of respondents.

News creators gain influence but do not replace traditional media

The report also underlined the growing role of news creators and influencers in the news ecosystem. Globally, 27% of respondents reported receiving news from creators who focus specifically on news content, while 46% received news from creators of any type.

Audiences viewed creators as better at making information easier to understand, presenting content in a more personal style and explaining complex issues in a more engaging way than traditional media.

However, when it came to trustworthiness and impartiality, respondents still rated established news organisations more highly.

The report also found that creators mostly supplement news consumption rather than replace mainstream media. Only 3% of respondents globally indicated that their news needs were met by creators alone.

News interest declines as trust hits lowest level

A further warning sign for the news industry is the continuing decline in interest in news. The report found that the share of people who described themselves as “very” or “extremely” interested in news has fallen by an average of 13 percentage points since 2021.

At the same time, the share of casual or low-interest news consumers has risen from 16% to 25%.

Trust in news has also weakened. Only 37% of respondents reported trusting news most of the time, down from 40% three years earlier and the lowest level since the survey began in 2015.

Among the 48 countries surveyed, 29 recorded a significant decline in trust in news, while 19 saw a fall of more than 5 percentage points. Concern about false and misleading information also rose to 62% of respondents globally, up 4 percentage points from the previous year.

The report linked the fall in trust not only to problems within the news industry but also to wider distrust of institutions, political polarisation and the growing consumption of news through platforms that are generally trusted less than traditional media.

Reader revenue comes under pressure

Changing consumer habits are also affecting the business models of news organisations. The report found that the share of people paying for online news across 20 tracked countries remained unchanged from the previous year at 17%, suggesting that the online news subscription market has begun to plateau in many countries.

The report suggests that growth in subscription revenue may become more difficult as visits to news websites and apps continue to decline. This gives news outlets fewer opportunities to convert general audiences into paying subscribers.

However, the report found that people who pay for news still place strong value on distinctive content that cannot easily be found elsewhere. Some 81% cited this as an important reason for paying, while 46% said they wanted to support journalism because they viewed it as important to society.

Balance of power in the news industry is shifting

Overall, the Digital News Report 2026 shows that the news industry is undergoing a major structural transformation. It is moving from an era in which news organisations sat at the centre of production and distribution towards one in which digital platforms, online video, AI and creators play an increasingly powerful role in how news is discovered and consumed.

Although many audiences still value journalism, credibility and impartiality, the report suggests that news organisations worldwide face a major challenge in maintaining direct relationships with audiences amid stronger competition from technology platforms and new forms of content production that are reshaping the global news ecosystem.