As AI continues to develop rapidly, most industries are urgently trying to keep up with the evolving situation and the capabilities and risks presented by the new technology. El Nacional’s TSE challenge was to seize this opportunity. Building on its business publication, the Barcelona-based publisher launched an editorial product and a community for managers and entrepreneurs to decode the impact of AI.

The largest news group in eastern Germany launched an initiative to target Volkswagen enthusiasts in Saxony. VW being the region’s largest employer, the newspaper focused on content that appeals to the car manufacturer’s employees, suppliers, and customers. By doubling their output of VW-related stories, Freie Presse saw notable increases in both reader engagement and subscriptions.

During its time in Table Stakes Europe, Gremi Media, one of Poland’s leading media groups, embarked on a transformation journey to strengthen its foothold in the country’s digital market. Through its flagship newspaper, Rzeczpospolita, and its online platform rp.pl, the publisher is implementing a comprehensive audience strategy aimed at better identifying, segmenting, and serving its audiences, starting with a focus on professionals, executives and small business owners.

Through an initiative aimed primarily at younger female readers, The Irish Times has redefined its focus on key demographics, combining data-driven insights with qualitative feedback to create content that resonates with its readers’ lives and priorities.

After a successful first round, ARA returned to Table Stakes Europe with a new challenge: to embed audiences-first thinking across its entire editorial team. Building on its initial success with a website focused on housing in Barcelona, the team has started to help other parts of the newsroom shift towards audience-driven journalism.

When the world’s biggest superstar, Taylor Swift, announced her tour dates in Germany, the team at Rheinische Post saw an opportunity to connect with a passionate, younger audience. The result was “Waiting for Taylor,” a 10-week newsletter dedicated to Swift’s fans. The German publisher’s fan-centric experiment during its second round in TSE went on to inspire other audience engagement initiatives, redefining how a local newsroom can connect with readers.

The daily newspaper started its Table Stakes project with the aim of accelerating its digital transformation and leveraging its 10th-year anniversary event to increase its digital subscriber count. When the news agenda disrupted their roadmap, L’Opinion’s Table Stakes team quickly identified a new focus audience: people who want to make the most of their last 15–20 years of working life.

Aiming to refresh its brand image and attract more male readers, the Hungarian publisher used its participation in Table Stakes Europe to start working on new types of automotive content, particularly around service and explanatory journalism. Success in this area has helped to build momentum for other experiments in the newsroom, from other focus audiences such as Wine and Tech, to a pilot around content monetisation.

An important goal for Our Media during its participation in Table Stakes Europe was to start moving away from being viewed as a conservative medium towards being seen as a fresh, modern one in order to reach younger people. The publisher also wanted to increase engagement with its audiences by producing more high quality content. A key metric was to track the amount of time that their audiences spent with content.

The German publisher’s second year in Table Stakes Europe allowed it to spread the audiences-first approach further in the newsroom, build on its existing audience-focused products and launch new projects.