Media leaders in " Bridge": Artificial intelligence and digital platforms are reshaping the future of media
Abu Dhabi, 8 December / WAM / Experts and specialists from major media institutions confirmed at the Bridge 2025 Summit that global media is going through the largest wave of transformations in its modern history, driven by the rise of giant digital platforms, the decline of traditional revenue models, and the acceleration of the use of artificial intelligence, which forces media institutions to redefine their relationship with the public and the nature of their role in the digital economy.
This came during the “Guide to Building Leading Media Brands” session, with the participation of Martin Sorrell, founder and CEO of S4 Capital, Jim Bankoff, co-founder and CEO of Vox Media, and Christine Cook, chief commercial officer of Bloomberg Media, and moderated by Hadley Gamble, chief international broadcaster at IMI, during the summit held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC), with the participation of more than 60,000 participants from 132 countries, and 430 speakers, presenting more Of 300 sessions in seven main tracks, including media, technology, content creation, arts, electronic games, marketing, and film making.
Sir Martin Sorrell explained that the advertising market is witnessing an unprecedented structural imbalance, as the volume of digital advertising amounts to about 700 billion dollars, compared to only 300 billion dollars for traditional media, stressing that companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, and TikTok account for the bulk of this growth, which makes competition almost impossible for traditional institutions in their old forms.
Sorel pointed out that technology companies have become “entities the size of countries,” with the value of some of them in the market exceeding four trillion dollars, while the value of NVIDIA has reached about five trillion. He warned that artificial intelligence will enhance the influence of these platforms even more, pointing out that the world is moving towards models of “public-private partnerships” instead of strict traditional regulation.
For his part, Jim Bankoff stressed that the biggest challenge facing media organizations today is no longer competing with each other, but rather competing with the “content creation economy” that attracts the audience through a direct personal relationship. He said: “The standard of success has become much higher, and organizations are now required to prove daily that they are worthy of the public’s attention, by providing real value that goes beyond quick news to building an ongoing experience.”
He added that Vox Media adopts a hybrid model that combines digital media with live experiences, citing its podcast network, which includes prominent programs such as Pivot, Criminal, and Today Explained, to be one of the largest networks in the United States. He stressed that only programs that build a direct relationship with the audience are able to withstand the fluctuations of platform algorithms, noting that the live experience with the audience cannot be replicated digitally.
In turn, Christine Cook explained that strong media brands do not disappear with changing times, but rather transform into new formats, stressing that a brand like HBO, even with a change in ownership, maintains its editorial value, noting that the “Bloomberg” model is based on private data, global field presence, and continuous coverage, which enhances confidence with its audience of decision makers.
She added that institutions are turning today to small events and close experiences, because of the depth and impact they give that exceeds wide spread, stressing that the value is no longer in being the largest, but in being the closest, pointing out that the model that integrates the platform, data, content, and events represents a successful formula for crossing technical generations from the Internet to artificial intelligence.
The speakers unanimously agreed that the media is simultaneously facing rapid technical, economic, political, and societal transformations, extending from artificial intelligence and digital currencies to changing audience behavior and the disintegration of traditional models, which makes daily adaptation a basic condition for survival, and not just a strategic option.
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