Prices rise for the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit after Mar. 24
Digiday Research: Publishers prioritize direct-sold ads heading into the second quarter
This research is based on unique data collected from our proprietary audience of publisher, agency, brand and tech insiders. It’s available to Digiday+ members. More from the series →
Direct-sold ads are still the biggest source of revenue for publishers online, according to the latest Digiday Research.
Our six-month benchmarking survey found that 53% of publishers said direct-sold advertising is a large or very large source of revenue for them. Programmatic ads are a large source of revenue for 35% of publishers, while video advertising is for 28%.
That’s in line with last fall’s findings: Of the 135 publishers surveyed by Digiday last fall, more than 50% of publishers reported that direct-sold advertising was a large or very large source of revenue for them. Video advertising was also another bright spot, with 28% of publishers reporting it as a large or very large source of revenue, as were programmatic ads, with 35%.
Subscriptions, in the meantime, are a large or very large source of revenue for only 21% of publishers. About 40% of publishers say it isn’t a source of revenue for them at all — flat from six months ago.
Still, growing that direct reader revenue was the biggest priority for publishers heading into 2020: Back in October, 46% of respondents said growing subscriptions was a major focus for them. Now, 40% of respondents said growing subscriptions is a major focus as they look to finish out the year.
More in Media
Why Parker Thatch transformed its strip-mall storefront into a livestreaming studio
Parker Thatch recently remodeled its store to serve as a hybrid customer-facing retail experience and broadcast studio.
Cloudflare’s compliant crawler highlights tension – and opportunity – in the emerging AI content market
Cloudflare faces tension in its new role: sitting in the middle between publishers and AI companies while balancing trust, control and monetization.
Media Briefing: What to expect at the Digiday Publishing Summit, March 2026 edition
Execs from The Atlantic, Arena Group, Bloomberg, Business Insider, The Guardian, New York Post, People Inc., Washington Post, and more, will share their strategies on everything from zero-click audience strategy, to AI licensing deals and RAG readiness, to how they’re embracing creator strategies to help boost engagement with younger audiences.