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The Economist Launched Insider Video Strategy

The publisher debuted a video and newsletter product in October 2025 to deepen subscriber engagement.

Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

Bold vector editorial illustration featuring a studio microphone and camera lens, symbolizing the publication's new video-based editorial strategy.
The Economist launched its new Insider video and newsletter product in October 2025, aiming to strengthen subscriber ties through increased direct engagement with its own staff. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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In October 2025, The Economist launched Insider, a video and newsletter product featuring internal journalists. The initiative was developed following 50 pilot recordings to bolster the publication's subscriber proposition.

Why it matters

The publisher aims to build closer audience connections with its journalists as automated content generation tools become more prevalent. This effort reflects a strategy to emphasize human expertise in response to the rise of AI in news production.

The product includes a weekly analysis show supported by four rotating monthly journalist-led series. The Economist currently maintains its core subscription at £279 per year while trialing a lower-priced tier called Play in Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

The players

The Economist

A global media organization known for weekly analytical journalism and a current annual subscription cost of £279.

Anthropic

An AI research and deployment company that sponsors the Insider video section.

Elon Musk

A technology executive whose 85-minute interview with the publication reached six million views.

The details

The publisher integrated the Insider video workflow into its existing newsroom rhythm rather than creating a separate production silo. By utilizing internal staff as hosts instead of external influencers, the team aims to preserve editorial consistency. This format, which is sponsored by Anthropic, serves as a mechanism to showcase the expertise of its writers directly to the reader base.

Timeline

  1. October 2025: Economist Insider launched as a video and newsletter product.

  2. July 2026: The Economist published an 85-minute interview with Elon Musk.

  3. September 2026: The Economist won Publisher of the Year at the Future of Media Awards.

The Tech Race

The Economist is positioning its human-centric video strategy against the increasing prevalence of automated news summaries. This move aligns with broader industry efforts to differentiate subscription products as AI-generated content impacts media engagement.

Subscribers gain access to video analysis and rotating journalist-led content as part of the established newsroom offering. Those in Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden may see the Play subscription trial as an alternative entry point to the publication.

The takeaway

The Economist is prioritizing personality-driven content to solidify its brand value in an era of automated information. Monitor the expansion of the lower-priced Play subscription tier, as its performance will signal the success of these broader diversification efforts.

Further reading

Explore the evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence to see how industry leaders are adapting their content strategies.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Press Gazette.

Live Poll

Do you trust traditional text-based news outlets more when they adopt video and personality-driven formats?