Advertisers love “impactful” ads that grab attention. In the case of ESPN.com, that means rich-media units that break through or interrupt the content. There are plenty of readers who can’t stand it, but publishers have to pay the bills. ESPN might have wanted to pause its homepage rich-media “breakthrough” ad for its Jeep campaign when the site was running a story about Joe Paterno’s memorial service. The end result: a Jeep Wrangler rampages through the former Penn State coach’s casket. Yikes. Via NESW Sports.
More in Media
Inside The Daily Mail’s creator-led content playbook
Inside the structure, strategy, and metrics of the Daily Mail’s creator-led content push.
Media Briefing: Overheard at the Digiday Publishing Summit, March 2026 edition
With no sign of search traffic returning, publishers are doubling down on subscriptions to build direct reader revenue — but it’s not easy.
People Inc.’s Jon Roberts on the AI licensing boom – and the revenue lag
People Inc’s Jon Roberts discusses the boom in AI content licensing marketplaces — and the revenue that could materialize for publishers.