AI Is Transforming the Media Industry. Content Owners Still Hold the Power.
Discover how AI is transforming media distribution whilst content owners retain control. Learn why direct-to-fan models are reshaping the industry.
Jan 22, 2026
David Orman
Co-Founder & CEO
The speed of change in the media right now isn’t evolutionary. It’s tectonic.
Artificial intelligence is rewriting how content is created, distributed, discovered, and monetised at a pace the industry has never experienced. Whilst headlines focus on what AI can generate, the deeper disruption is happening elsewhere: in who controls the relationship with the audience.
Broadcast media, studios, and legacy platforms are feeling it first. Not because they lack talent or capital, but because digital transformation inside large organisations still moves too slowly for a world that now updates itself weekly.
AI doesn’t wait for committees.
The Real Challenge Isn’t AI. It’s Speed.
Big media companies were built for stability. For schedules, release windows, hierarchies, and long planning cycles. AI is built for speed.
When algorithms can iterate faster than internal approvals, the advantage shifts. Not to the biggest balance sheet, but to whoever can move content into the world quickly, test it, learn from it, and adapt.
The Old Media Playbook:
12-18 month production cycles
Fixed release windows
Multi-layer approval processes
Annual strategy reviews
Quarterly performance targets
The New Reality:
Weekly algorithm updates
Real-time audience feedback
Instant global distribution
Daily performance data
Continuous iteration
That’s why the old saying has never been more relevant:
Content is king. But distribution is the throne.
And the throne is moving.
AI Can Create Content. It Cannot Create Gravity.
AI can generate scripts, trailers, edits, thumbnails, and translations. It can remix formats and optimise metadata. It can flood the internet with material.
What it cannot do is create pull.
What Still Draws Audiences:
Live sport - Unpredictable moments that demand real-time attention
Reality TV - Genuine human drama and unexpected developments
Recognisable talent - Actors, presenters, and personalities people trust
Independent creators - Authentic voices with devoted communities
Stories with stakes - Narratives where outcomes genuinely matter
Audiences still gather around people, moments, and meaning. The difference now is that discovery no longer happens in one place. Fans don’t live on a single platform. They move fluidly across the internet, devices, and communities.
The job is no longer just to make content. It’s to find the audience wherever they already are.
This is where AI becomes an accelerant rather than a threat.
How AI Helps Content Owners:
Personalised recommendations - Match content to niche audiences at scale
Automated localisation - Translate and adapt for global markets instantly
Metadata optimisation - Make content discoverable across platforms
Audience insights - Understand viewing patterns and preferences in real-time
Marketing automation - Test and optimise promotional campaigns continuously
The technology amplifies reach. But the content still determines whether anyone cares.
Direct-to-Fan Is Not a Trend. It’s a Correction.
For years, platforms promised scale in exchange for control. Content owners gave up data, pricing power, rights visibility, and long-term relationships for reach.
That trade-off is breaking down.
What Content Owners Lost:
Audience data - No way to know who’s watching or how to reach them again
Pricing control - Platforms dictated what content was worth
Revenue transparency - Opaque algorithms determined payouts
Direct relationships - No connection between creator and consumer
Rights flexibility - Locked into exclusive windows and territories
What AI Makes Possible:
AI has made it possible to distribute, personalise, and market content without surrendering ownership. Direct-to-fan isn’t about replacing platforms. It’s about rebalancing power.
Own your audience - Build direct relationships, not platform-dependent reach
Own your data - Understand viewing behaviour and preferences
Own your revenue - Set pricing and keep more of what you earn
Own your rights - Control where, when, and how content appears
When content owners control the relationship, AI becomes a tool that works for them. It helps content get found. It helps identify demand. It helps connect stories to the people most likely to care.
But the value flows back to the rights holder, not the intermediary.
The Infrastructure Behind Content Ownership
For decades, the industry treated distribution as a gate. AI has turned it into a network.
That’s why infrastructure matters more than ever. Not platforms that sit in front of content, but systems that sit behind it.
What Content Owners Need:
Fast deployment - Upload once, distribute everywhere
Global collaboration - Work with teams across territories seamlessly
Rights management - Respect release windows and geographic restrictions automatically
Local pricing - Set different rates for different markets
Real-time analytics - See what’s working and what isn’t, immediately
Flexible access control - Move between free, paid, and exclusive access without rebuilding
Hiway exists because of this shift.
We don’t compete with broadcasters, streamers, or social platforms. We give content owners the keys back to their own kingdom. We let them decide how their work moves, earns, and connects in an AI-accelerated world.
Your content lives in one place. You control who sees it-public preview, paid access, private screeners, or festival submissions-without duplicating files or losing track of rights.
The Future Isn’t AI vs Creators. It’s Creators Who Know How to Use AI.
AI will not replace the people who make content worth watching.
It will replace the systems that slow them down.
The winners in the next phase of media will be those who understand one simple truth:
AI changes how content travels. But content still decides who shows up.
What This Means in Practice:
Traditional media must adopt creator-speed workflows or lose relevance
Independent creators can compete with studios using AI-powered distribution
Rights holders gain leverage by controlling audience relationships directly
Platforms become utilities rather than gatekeepers
Quality storytelling remains the differentiator AI cannot replicate
Direct-to-fan isn’t a rebellion. It’s an inevitability.
And in an industry moving this fast, ownership is no longer optional.
It's interesting how you framed the real challenge as speed, not just AI itself. Do you think legacy media can ever truely adapt, or will new players totally dominate? Such a smart perspective!