Meta signs multi-year AI content licensing deal with News Corp

Meta has signed a multi-year artificial intelligence content licensing agreement with News Corp that could see the tech company pay up to $50 million a year to the media giant.

The deal, which will run for at least three years, will give Meta access to News Corp’s content from the US and the UK. The agreement allows Meta to use the publisher’s content to train its AI models and retrieve information for users of its AI products. The arrangement also includes access to archived stories.

The partnership highlights the growing value of credible news content as technology companies build and refine their artificial intelligence systems. AI developers increasingly rely on large volumes of high-quality content to train models and deliver real-time information through chatbots and other AI tools.

News Corp CEO Robert Thomson hinted at the agreement during a presentation at a Morgan Stanley conference, noting that the company had secured a “very public horizontal deal” and was in advanced discussions on other potential partnerships.

The media company had previously entered into a content licensing agreement with OpenAI in 2024, which was reported to be worth more than $250 million over five years.

Meta has also been pursuing similar agreements with other publishers. The company has signed content deals with media organisations including People Inc., USA Today, CNN and Fox News, though financial details of those agreements have not been disclosed.

As AI adoption accelerates, news organisations are increasingly exploring different strategies to protect and monetise their intellectual property. While some publishers are entering licensing partnerships with AI companies, others have chosen legal routes to address concerns around copyright and content usage.