MT Connect is bringing MMOs together
I love when companies in our space collaborate to solve problems, so I was very excited to see the launch of MT Connect. One of the biggest headaches for any media monitoring organisation is sourcing content, especially print content, from outside their own markets. MT Connect is solving the problem. It’s a platform that enables media monitoring and intelligence companies to buy, sell, and deliver media monitoring content across markets. It provides a simple, transparent trading system that enables search creation and content delivery in minutes. Created by MediaTrack, and lead by Alan Malligsen, MT Connect has been born from a deep knowledge of media monitoring, and the needs of MMOs. MT Connect is only open to FIBEP members, and it is already live and active. I would encourage all MMOs to run, not walk, to MT Connect to understand the benefits for your organisation.
Trust Erodes as World Retreats Into “Insularity”
Would it be January without the Edelman Trust Barometer? The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that 70% of people globally now have an “insular mindset”, unwilling or hesitant to trust someone with different values, facts or cultural backgrounds. The research, based on surveys of 33,938 respondents across 28 countries, showed that only 32% of people believe the next generation will be better off, with optimism declining sharply in India (-13 points) and China (-13 points). The study identified employers as best positioned to act as “trust brokers” to bridge societal divides, as they have the smallest expectation-performance gap and high trust levels with employees. This is always a crucial read.
Publishers Expect 43% Drop in Search Traffic as AI Reshapes Media
The Reuters Institute’s annual trends report found that media executives expect traffic from search engines to decline by 43% over the next three years, with AI-powered answer engines fundamentally reshaping content distribution. The survey of 280 digital leaders from 51 countries revealed that only 38% feel confident about journalism’s future—a 22 percentage point drop from four years ago. Publishers reported plans to focus more on original investigations, contextual analysis and human stories, while scaling back service journalism. The research showed publishers are also planning greater investment in video and audio content as text-based content becomes increasingly commoditised.
Cision: 91% of PR Teams Now Using Generative AI in Workflows
Cision’s Inside PR 2026 report revealed that 91% of PR professionals now use generative AI as part of their workflow, with 73% applying it to idea generation and 68% using it for writing and content refinement. The study, based on insights from nearly 600 PR professionals across the US and UK, found that storytelling remained the most in-demand skill for 2026, followed by media relations and strategic planning. The research highlighted a significant agility gap, with one in three executives describing their organisation as “extremely agile” compared to only 14% of employees. The report showed that while brand awareness remains PR’s primary focus (36%), senior leaders and agencies are increasingly prioritising measurable outcomes, with 32% of executives and 33% of agencies focused on revenue and ROI.
Meltwater: 90% of PR Teams Integrate AI
Interestingly, Meltwater and We. Communications’ first annual State of PR Report corroborated the Cision findings. According to their report, over 90% of PR teams have integrated generative AI into their workflows. The research, based on insights from more than 1,100 PR and communications professionals worldwide, identified reactive work, content creation and measurement/reporting as the biggest time sinks, while teams saw AI’s greatest potential in identifying rising trends and summarising media coverage. The study revealed that more than half of respondents expect little or no change in PR investment for 2026 despite increased demand for strategic impact, with nearly 40% reporting that company leadership has limited understanding of their PR team’s work.
Media Intelligence Product Updates
Here are some of the product announcements that caught our attention this month:
Meltwater achieved SOC 2 Type II certification, validating that its systems and processes operate effectively to protect customer data and support enterprise-grade security requirements.