2026 shaping up to be a seismic year for Sip Media Solutions
Sip Media Solutions managing director Simon Wilkes gives an overview of the last 18 months - and outlines the brand’s grand plans for 2026 and beyond.
Don’t look back in anger
I generally prefer to look forward with hope than back in anger - but it has certainly been an interesting 18 months since leaving Planet Sport Group.
After chats with Scott Allen, Ian Holding and Paddy Mallam, SIP popped into my head - then SIP Media Solutions (SMS) as a nod to my mobile content grounding.
The AI wolf has fully blown down the digital door in the last few years - rampaging through the publishing industry with wild abandon.
Established publishers who have spent decades gorging on Google revenues are now panicking and laying off journalists.
Page views are disappearing down an AI plughole - with many people in the digital industry losing their jobs as a result.
It is a bloodbath - and it is brutal.
But some of us are holding our nerve.
We planned sensibly, we grew slowly - and see the value in fusing experience with new blood.
Content is king
Myself and Scott Allen have been journalists since the late 1990s - we have literally been there since the internet was born.
Content is king and always will be if you commit to doing it well, with personality and passion.
The digital media trough is full of ‘slop’, content created by people chasing Google trends and algorithm shortcuts.
But we want to publish quality stories and videos on our growing network of brands.
We are using AI to speed up the processes - but are trusting humans to harness it.
James Gordon from JDG Media is aligned with Sip Media’s journalistic ethos - but also loves tech so is leading our development plans.
Andy Kayley from Adapt iGaming is a force to be reckoned with in the betting and gaming industry - so he’s opening doors, and we are delivering what he needs for his sites and clients.
In Sue Reay from Pentagon SEO we have someone whose commercial, sales and people skills are unrivalled.
And through Neil Wooding and Mark Woodhead we have a gateway to the newspaper and magazine world, which is still going strong as people navigate their way back to wanting tangible content once they are done with doom scrolling.
Young, ambitious talent
Amongst all that experience, we have a growing team of young, ambitious talent like Matt Dudley, Michael Davey, Nicole Powell, Dan Lawrence, Aidan Leo, Anna Ferraz, Shameeka Voyiya, Sam Leasley, Noah Ngcobo, Ayla Vaughan and Charlie Gardner.
The list goes on - and is growing week on week thanks to partnerships with universities all over the world and strong relationships with the likes of Catherine O’Connor, Gerrie Byrne, Steve Canavan, Ron Irwin and Darren Harper.
It’s looking like 2026 could be a seismic year for Sip Media Solutions - but we will take it one day, one student, one client at a time.
Every individual matters
As Jane Goodall says: ‘Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.”
Look after the individuals, and the team will form and take care of itself (that’s me, not Jane).
