SPUR Content Telemetry Standard v.1 published

The SPUR Coalition has released a new framework designed to help publishers see how AI companies are using their content. 

AI systems rely on high quality source material to create the best outputs for their users. But until now there has been no shared language or process for the producers of this material (journalists, content creators, media organisations, rightsholders) to understand who is using their content, how it is used, and what value AI and tech companies are extracting from it. 

SPUR’s new Content Telemetry Standard is a market first move to create a standardised process by which AI agents and model builders record how they use media content and report that usage back to publishers. The Standard defines a common language to help navigate this new information economy; laying down a critical foundation upon which a fairer market can be built. 

The framework is open-source and provides a consistent way for AI agents to report when publisher-owned content is retrieved, grounded (used as the underlying evidence or reference for an AI answer), cited, presented, and engaged with via a third-party AI or digital platform. 

By establishing an industry-wide standard for reporting this information, SPUR’s goal is to put media organisations and technology platforms on the same page; making it easier to negotiate fair licensing agreements and track content usage before and after deals are done. 

David Buttle, co-founder of The SPUR Coalition, comments: 

“This is the first step towards a fairer future. Publishers and rights-holders must have control over their own content and be fairly remunerated when that content is used by others. The Content Telemetry Standard is creating a framework to guide this process: ensuring everyone in the supply chain is speaking the same language. The Standard means every future licensing deal can be built on the same foundation; bringing new levels of transparency and interoperability to the market. 

“Our coalition is fighting for a future where publishers can negotiate with platforms from a position of strength. Developing a shared language for how content is used is SPUR’s initial step towards creating the tangible, globally-applicable solutions we need to move the dial and put publishers back on the front foot.” 

Following the publication of a draft of the telemetry framework in June, the coalition launched a public consultation inviting key stakeholders across publishing, AI and the media to offer feedback. The result of this collaborative work - the newly-published Content Telemetry 1.0 - is the first iteration of what is hoped will become a widely adopted industry standard. The coalition will continue to collaborate with AI platforms and tech businesses to develop fair, robust industry standards around safe and transparent content usage.

“A trusted information ecosystem requires publishers and technology platforms to work together to ensure quality journalism remains grounded in facts and intellectual property is properly valued and protected,” said Associated Press Chief Revenue Officer Kristin Heitmann. “SPUR’s framework is an important step toward fair, transparent licensing relationships that support both innovation  and the future of trusted information. This will help create the foundations needed for all platforms to engage with rightsholders in a consistent, transparent way.”

SPUR is now working with industry partners to implement the standard and develop proofs of concept, as well as developing agent tooling that allows AI companies to easily adopt this protocol, helping them to act within fair licensing and reporting requirements. SPUR has also launched working groups with ecosystem partners and its global members to develop the standard further, with a focus on improving the accuracy of evidence and auditing, agent and content identifiers, and advertising influence. 

The SPUR coalition is also today announcing the formation of another market-first initiative: the Licensing Advisory Board (LAB). This will be made up of the organisations building or owning the technical infrastructure that underpins interactions between content publishers and AI systems, as well as those who currently - or plan to - license journalistic content for use in AI systems. Membership of the LAB will be by invitation. 

The purpose of the Board is to ensure that the technical standards underpinning the market are shaped and agreed by the ecosystem that will run on them, so rights can be verified, use can be measured, permissions honoured, deals can be made without friction, and the right incentives licensing exist.

"This will ensure both sides of the equation have a seat at the table and can work together to drive through better, fairer and more sustainable ways of working," comments David Buttle.