• by Ray Schultz , March 27, 2023

Microsoft, USAID and Internews have formed a public-private partnership to help independent publishers access market insights and business tools.  

They plan to launch a Media Viaibility Accelerator that will pool data from media organizations worldwide to help publishers determine what is working for them and how to apply it. When launched, it will be available for use by news organizations in more than 100 countries.  

Microsoft points out that the U.S. has lost more than a quarter of its newspapers since 2005, and will likely lose a third by 2025.

The company’s Microsoft Democracy Forward initiative is designed to preserve access to trusted journalism. 

President Biden announced support for the creation of a Media Viability Accelerator at the first Summit for Democracy in December 2021.

According to Microsoft, the Media Viability Accelerator will consist of these two components:  

• MVA Insights, a data-based platform that will collect market intelligence to help newsroons with their business models. Microsoft says it will provide expertise in AI-powered data aggregation, data analysis, visualization dashboards and cloud services. 
• MVA Solutions, a marketplace of government, nonprofits, and business solutions and services that media can use to find investors, funders, advertisers, technology solutions and advisors. Participants, including Microsoft and Internews, will supply regular updates.