USA Today Co. (TDAY) shares climbed Friday after the media company struck an AI licensing deal with Meta, showing how news publishers are finding ways to monetize their content in the AI era rather than fighting it.

The multi-year partnership gives Meta access to a substantial content library spanning USA Today's network of more than 200 local publications and sports wires. Meta plans to surface this journalism across its family of apps and devices, particularly when users ask questions to Meta AI. The clever part? AI-generated answers will include links back to the original USA Today articles, providing both attribution and deeper context for readers who want the full story.

Financial terms weren't disclosed, which is typical for these types of deals, but the market clearly likes what it sees.

"As the largest local-to-national publishing and digital media organization in the country, this partnership is a testament to the value of the USA TODAY Network's archival and real-time content locally and nationally," said Mike Reed, CEO of USA Today. "Partnerships that help people access a range of information are a useful model to implement as publishers embrace transformative technology. Our deal with Meta reflects responsible collaboration between trusted journalism and the information ecosystem."

TDAY Price Action: Shares were up 9.88% and trading at $5.56 at the time of publication.