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Platform Power in News Aggregation

Author

Listed:
  • Andrey Simonov
  • Daniil Mikhailov
  • Ruben Enikolopov
  • Ruben Durante

Abstract

News aggregators are among the primary gatekeepers of online news, shaping both consumption and production through the algorithms that rank stories and sources. We provide the first large-scale estimates of this algorithmic power using the example of Yandex News, Russia's largest aggregator. Combining archived front pages with 12.3 million published articles and outlet-level traffic data, we estimate that occupying the entire top-5 news block for a day raises an outlet's traffic by roughly 380,000 visitors. After a 2016 law made aggregators liable for cited content, Yandex halved its references to independent outlets, yet consumers did not penalize the manipulation: its referrals converted readers at the same rate, and its market share did not fall. Removed outlets shifted toward longer articles and stopped optimizing headlines for the algorithm, showing that aggregator algorithms shape not only news consumption but also production.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrey Simonov & Daniil Mikhailov & Ruben Enikolopov & Ruben Durante, 2026. "Platform Power in News Aggregation," CESifo Working Paper Series 12859, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12859
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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