What’s the biggest monetization challenge facing digital publishers today? Ad tech, they say. Growing complexities around audience-based ad selling and the emergence of new channels such as mobile and video are making the space increasingly difficult to understand and to navigate.
In the video below, three publishers weigh in on the biggest challenges they currently face.
“It’s really challenging, you have to have a lot of different skill sets to truly understand it,” says The Awl publisher John Shankman. “You have to understand sales, you have to understand technology, you have to understand content. To get a wholistic picture is really difficult,” he added.
Todd Sawicki, chief revenue officer of the Cheezburger Network expressed similar views. It’s no longer just a case of worrying about a display ad technology stack, he said. Publishers now have to consider channels such as mobile and video too, while fragmenting technologies on the buy-side further add to the confusion.
Meanwhile ex-Forbes.com CEO and Spanfeller Media Group founder, Jim Spanfeller, suggested ad tech is “helping crap masquerade as quality.” Despite ad tech’s promise, there’s progress that needs to be made before the publishers with worthwhile content and audiences will really benefit, he suggested.
-
With Roku leading the pack, study says 94% of households are reachable through CTV
Connected TV remains on the rise in programmatic advertising, fueled by the popularity of Roku, Samsung and Amazon devices.
-
Digital investors take time out as British Pound plummets
Don’t expect an M&A frenzy, despite Sterling’s historic low, as volatility cools investors’ appetites.
-
Member ExclusiveMedia Briefing: The pros, cons of three pricing models for publisher, sportbook content deals
Publishers and sportsbooks are looking for new payout models beyond the standard cost-per-acquisition structure, which is priced on average between $200-500 per new customer.
-
SponsoredHow FAST channels are redefining primetime opportunities for advertisers
Sponsored by Vevo With the competition from content providers continuing to build, the traditional primetime TV slots are no longer guaranteeing the mass audiences they once did. Television viewership is evolving, and the primetime window of 8–11 p.m. is less broadly reflective of younger audiences’ content consumption habits. In 2022, attracting TV viewers is a […]
-
The New York Times looks to gaming product to grow subscriptions
The Times' use of games as a subscriber funnel is part of a renewed focus on gaming sparked by the company's acquisition of Wordle in January.
-
Inside the NFL’s youth-focused social strategy
As part of the NFL Content Creator Network, the league is engaging with fans in new, innovative ways via gaming or just through creative social media activations.
