I think hedge is the right word. NYT continuously invests in their crossword thinking there'll be a return on their investment (maybe in increased subscriptions). Investing in a line of business is basically an informed bet. NYT wants the crossword to remain dominant. They just bought Wordle on the off-chance it unseats the crossword, hence the term "hedge".

This is just speculation btw, I don't work for NYT or know the true reasons.