Record Yield
← All posts
Deals7 August 2026 · 2 min read

News Corp's $250m and what publishers really get paid for AI data

The biggest publisher deal reported so far, News Corp's with OpenAI, is valued at more than $250m over five years, but most publishers were reportedly offered between $1m and $5m a year.

Reddit → Google$60mNews Corp → OpenAI (avg)$50mTypical OpenAI offer (top)$5mTypical OpenAI offer (low)$1m
Reported annual value of selected content dealsWSJ, Reuters, The Information (2024); per-year figures derived from reported totals

What drives the gap

  • Volume and uniqueness: decades of archive beat a small site.
  • Ongoing supply: fresh content every day adds value.
  • Leverage: several interested buyers, or a credible lawsuit, raise the price.

For company records

Company archives are smaller, so prices are lower, but the same drivers apply. Competition matters most: see why several buyers beat one.

Key takeaways
  • Headline deals are outliers.
  • Uniqueness, freshness and leverage set price.
  • Competition is the lever most companies can pull.

What could your company's records earn?

A free, nine-question estimate. No files, no logins.

Get a free valuation →

More in Deals