The media industry is in constant tension between startup companies and legacy giants, running for dominance in the industry. The ongoing battle is between capturing audience attention and quickly shifting focus. The companies are in constant need to rethink their strategies for creating, distributing, and monetising content as they have been constantly challenged by the rise of personalised and on-demand content.
Startup media companies, often digital natives, leverage their agility to adapt quickly to new technologies and trends. They excel at experimenting with new content formats, like podcasts and streaming, and targeting niche audiences. These companies utilise data analytics to understand preferences and personalise experiences. Their freedom to experiment with less command and control enables faster decision-making and innovation compared to larger, more established organisations.
Legacy media giants, with their established brands and extensive resources, are also adapting to the evolving landscape. While often slower to change, many legacy companies are investing in digital transformation and exploring new revenue streams, including Direct-to-Consumer models and using AI for content creation and distribution. Their vast user bases and global reach offer strong platforms for launching new ventures and maintaining loyal audiences. While, a startup company does very well, its resources permit it to acquire a smaller growing startup, reducing the growing competition. Giving them a fair advantage over the other.
The trade-off is clear: startups trade on agility and intimacy. Legacy firms trade on trust and scale. But the winner isn’t necessarily the fastest—sometimes it’s the one who can combine both qualities effectively.
Revenue models
Startup media, conversely, often begins with a different monetisation mindset. Many prioritise audience growth over immediate profitability. This allows for creativity in revenue generation, from influencer partnerships and branded content to merchandise sales, crowdfunding, and micro-subscription.
Legacy media companies historically relied on advertising, subscriptions, and syndication as core revenue sources. While these streams still matter, declining print readership, increased ad-blocking, and fragmentation have forced legacy brands to rethink their strategies. Many have adopted subscription bundles and diversified digital offerings.
The challenge for startups is their long-term stability. Without the high financial support of legacy organisations, they are more vulnerable to a shift in platform algorithms, advertising downturns, or monetisation changes that could backfire.
The role of AI
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the media space, and both legacy and startup companies are investing in it, but their ways to do it differ.
Startups often deploy AI to automate operations, improve personalisation, and enhance content discovery. AI-driven recommendation engines, generative content tools, and predictive analytics are becoming very common and necessary tools. These offer them the ability to tailor highly user-oriented experiences at scale.
Legacy players are also integrating AI, though often at a slower pace due to scale and regulatory oversight. They may use AI for language translation, transcription, content tagging, or automated news updates. However, their larger operations can sometimes slow down implementation, and the stakes of making errors are higher due to their established reputations.
AI also brings ethical questions—like deepfakes, biased algorithms, and the erosion of journalistic integrity are being faced by both media giants and startups.
Blurring the Lines
The lines between startups and media giants aren't very clear-cut. As mentioned in one of the previous sections, legacy companies acquire startups as they desire, sometimes to step up and gain new audiences and other times to minimise competition. Example includes BuzzFeed’s acquisition of HuffPost.
With the changing times, both legacy companies and startups are realising the need for each other, thus collaboration has also become a common practice. Legacy companies may fund documentaries created by independent creators, co-host podcasts with digital influencers, or syndicate startup content through their platforms.
These present us with a question: is the answer as simple as either startup or legacy giants who win the race? Or is it who can adapt better to the fast-paced, changing dynamic in the media industry and survive in a co-existing place?
The future of media
The future of media will likely belong to those who can blend the best of both worlds—the agility and the risk-taking ability of startups with the scale and trust of legacy giants.
The hybrid mode already exists; one clear example is The New York Times (NYT), a legacy media powerhouse, created "The Daily"—a podcast launched in 2017 that represents a perfect blend of traditional journalism and digital-first innovation.
Why does this work? It works because it combines legacy credibility with modern content formats, meeting audiences where they are. It allows experimentation within a trusted brand, attracting both loyal readers and new digital-native listeners. This synergy drives engagement, growth, and monetisation across platforms.
Audience trust, content quality, and tech adaptability will remain central. It’s not about who started first or who’s bigger. It’s about who can deliver consistently, innovate fearlessly, and connect meaningfully in an overstimulating, constantly overfed digital space.
It is not a winner-takes-all kind of race; rather, it is a vast ecosystem with room for all, be it a media giant or a startup. Startups and legacy giants each have their strengths—and their survival and success will likely depend on how they learn from one another. The new race isn’t about disruption or creation. It's about co-creation, reinvention, and listening to an audience whose voice is louder and more influential than ever before. It is the correct mix of startup culture and the backbone of legacy holders.