News Corp

Publishers Pull Back from Google AI Search

Publishers and creators are reacting differently to the rise of AI-driven search: several publishers and publisher-facing services are preparing to block or delist crawlers used for search indexing and AI training, while some creators are leaning into AI search exposure. Beginning September 15, Cloudflare’s site-security software will default to blocking such crawlers for new publishers and free-tier users; publishers using Cloudflare include Financial Times, Condé Nast and The Atlantic. USA Today and creator network Beehiiv told Adweek they were preparing to delist Google. Google has been increasing AI investment even as its search and ads arm still grows; the company reported roughly $5.9 billion negative free cash flow. Studies cited show publishers receive a small share of AI-referral traffic, and companies including OpenAI and Microsoft are licensing publisher content or building publisher marketplaces.

Myspace Owners Signal Possible Relaunch

In a new documentary, owners Chris and Tim Vanderhook say they still own Myspace and plan to relaunch the site when the timing is right, though no specific timetable or detailed strategy was given. Myspace now operates primarily as a music streaming service after losing most of its original social-network features. The documentary and coverage recall the site's rise and fall: News Corporation bought Myspace in 2005 for $580 million, and within six years sold it for about $35 million to Specific Media. Specific Media was later folded into Viant, which is led by the Vanderhooks. The current owners say modernization efforts have been costly — estimating losses of more than $150 million — and acknowledged past failed restart attempts as they wait for the right moment to try again.

Former Dow Jones Investigator Brings Due Diligence to Games

Chelsea Anglin, founder of DD For Games and a former investigative researcher at Dow Jones, runs a due diligence practice for the game industry from Taipei. She argues many game partnerships lack basic vetting and offers a free partner due diligence checklist through her Game Intelligence Direct newsletter. Anglin highlights unique challenges in vetting Chinese partners, notes that business registries in China and Japan can disclose shareholders, and warns investors and publishers to apply standard KYC and operational transparency checks before funding. She will speak on a panel about Chinese studio funding at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 29, 2026.