Highlights from FIPP World Media Congress 2025

This October, Philippe van Mastrigt (Managing Director, Europe) and Dan Heffernan (Vice President & Chief Product Manager) attended FIPP (the Federation of International Periodical Publishers) World Media Congress in the heart of Madrid, Spain. This year’s event was special, as FIPP is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding and AdvantageCS was a Centenary Partner. 

The event was jam-packed with 500 participants from 40+ countries, over 50 speakers, and sessions across a broad spectrum of topics. This year, FIPP introduced Wordy, an app that provided real-time translation through audio and text for all attendees. AI is a game changer for events! 

The Congress kicked off with opportunities to experience the host city. Attendees were invited to take a walking tour, visit the world-renowned Prado Museum, and enjoy an official welcome reception with drinks and tapas sponsored by Hearst. On the second day, there was a rooftop party with stunning views of Madrid, sponsored by Spanish publisher Ola! 

Thanks to an abundant agenda, attendees were able to fill their days with sessions and meetings. As a sponsor, AdvantageCS had a dedicated area to meet with clients, prospects, industry colleagues, and consultants. We were excited to have the opportunity to present this year. At a session entitled “Industry Challenges: Acting Local, Being Global – Subscription Insights from the U.K. for International Growth,” Philippe interviewed our client Mark Judd, President, International of CDS Global. Mark described challenges from the perspective of a service provider to the publishing industry. His insights were plentiful and covered a variety of challenges ranging from providing perceived value to the consumer, to flexibility in offerings, to allowing the consumer to control what they receive. Mark outlined strategies with real-world examples, including custom bundling (especially print+digital and dropping print-only) and offering free products and gifts. You can view their full interview below.

Other sessions on covered topics such as: 

• Artificial intelligence & human creativity: There was considerable discourse on how media organizations are using AI and what it means for content, products, and business models. One session offered a key piece of advice to publishers: “you need to be navigators”: to remain flexible and able to adjust your strategy quickly. Bauer presented on how they have implemented AI assistance in all of their business workflows to move quicker to market. 
• Audience & attention: Moving from scale to deeper engagement, sessions explored how trusted brands will matter more than ever. Hearst reminded us that strong brands are at the forefront of AI content, which is losing the confidence of consumers. 
• Organic traffic & discovery challenges: there was a strong warning that reliance on organic traffic (e.g., from Google) may be in structural decline, as AI and its summaries are major game changers. Multiple sessions attempted to shed light on how to address this paradigm shift. The sunset of Google’s domination was also part of the discussion. 
• Business model innovation & diversification: Some sessions discussed how media companies are evolving from advertising-only models to providing subscriptions, events, and licensing. A talk by the CEO of Semafor, a new, event-based media company founded in 2022, was definitely inspiring. 
• Global expansion & localization: Both Hearst and Time told fascinating stories about their brand expansion: how they are scaling globally, yet regional markets and local communities still matter.  
• Sustainability & trust: There was also dialogue on the importance of editorial integrity, brand trust, and responsible use of technology in media. 

Once again, Juan Señor presented his Innovation in Media world report, a handbook on the latest ideas with excellent insights for rethinking strategy. It was an exceptional Congress; a great place to meet new people and reconnect with industry colleagues. And thanks to its location in Spain, the food was fantastic. (There is only good food in Spain!) 

We are looking forward to the 2026 Congress, which will also take place in Madrid.