Connect with top programmatic leaders

Join us Dec. 1-3 to connect with leaders from CMI Media Group, Publicis Media, Ogilvy and many more

SECURE YOUR SEAT

Digiday Research: Reader revenue is the top publisher priority for 2020

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 →

Growing direct reader revenue remains the biggest priority for publishers heading into 2020.

In a new survey of 135 publishers conducted by Digiday Research this fall, almost 46% of respondents said growing subscriptions were a major focus for them over the next six months. Other major priorities are building direct-sold ads: 64% of publishers said that was either a large focus or a very large focus area for them.

Neither comes as much of a surprise. Subscriptions are an important and controllable way to generate revenue. Sometimes that even comes at a lower resource allocation cost — Digiday Research conducted last year found that 75% of publishers surveyed allocated less than 25% of their company’s resources to subscription products. In an increasingly unstable digital advertiser landscape, any way to have sustainable revenue streams is a priority.

 

Selling ads direct can be more difficult, but publishers so far have found that it’s a bright spot when it comes to revenue. More than 50% of publishers reported this year that direct-sold was a large or very large source of revenue.

Publishers with more than $50 million in revenue plan to focus largely on subscriptions, video advertising and growing ad revenue, both in programmatic ads and direct-sold advertising.

Publishers with under $50 million in revenue are also focused on advertising, but subscriptions are slightly less important.

More in Media

A measuring tape slightly open with eyes on the measure. Representing measurement for omnichannel strategies.

Discord puts proof behind its ad pitch with first measurement push

The measurement test comes a year and six months after Discord rolled out Quests, and is the latest signal that it is going all-in on measurement in 2025 as it moves from experimental campaigns to something advertisers can trust at scale.

Media Briefing: From standards to marketplaces: the AI ‘land grab’ is on 

The AI space is growing crowded, with companies vying to set AI standards and build marketplaces to help publishers monetize content.

The Guardian brings The Filter to the U.S. in affiliate commerce push

The Guardian is bringing its product recommendation site The Filter stateside, as it looks to push harder into commerce revenue.