Editorial World Cup session will showcase how news brands shape the cultural moments that unite audiences, followed by new evidence of how advertisers can turn cultural influence into commercial success
As part of the Future of Media Manchester, Newsworks will present two sessions that demonstrate the unique role news brands play at the heart of culture and why that matters for marketers.
Opening the day, Inside the World Cup: Reporting the Cultural Moment of 2026 will bring together leading sports journalists from some of the UK’s biggest news brands to explore how one of the year’s defining events was reported in real time across a multitude of platforms and formats.
From breaking news and live blogs to video, analysis, social content and podcasts, the session will showcase the speed, innovation and dynamism that enable news brands to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter.
Chaired by James Longhurst, content director at The Media Leader, the panel will feature Dean Scoggins, head of sport at The Sun; Nikhita Chulani, breaking news and sports video editor at The Guardian; Henry Williams, sports presenter at the Daily Mail; and John Cross, chief football writer at the Mirror.
The session will be followed by Why Cultural Relevance Pays, in which Heather Dansie, insight director at Newsworks, will unveil new research examining the link between trusted journalism, cultural relevance and business growth.
Exclusively and for the first time ever, the research puts a commercial value on cultural relevance, providing evidence that brands which keep pace with culture can drive measurable sales growth.
At a time when culture moves faster than ever, both sessions will offer a powerful story of inspiration and evidence: showing not only the impact of news brands on culture, but the value they deliver for brands that want to be part of it.
