Publishers

Google tests out a “pay per value” AI licensing scheme; Netflix, Amazon and YouTube join forces; and Apple may soon launch integrations with third-party LLMs.

StatSocial launched Digital Twins, which allows brands to simulate audience research using AI-generated profiles built from behavioral data. One of the earliest testers, Shepherd, an audience strategy consultancy, is using it to test news products for niche audiences.

A word of caution to digital advertising companies, as they go all in on AI algorithms: They need to build these solutions with ownership, governance and accountability from the start – or AI could sink them with a single mistake.

TV piracy of sports streams is siphoning away millions of viewers. Then: Vox Media and BuzzFeed found new owners this spring, punctuating the end of the pageview era.

Traffic didn’t drip. It dropped. In 2026, publishers are prioritizing stability over scale as AI, automation and curation reshape the sell side.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

In a Q&A with Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, we examine where publishers can find real impact in 2026 amid growing pressure to deliver revenue now.

At the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting this week, IAB CEO David Cohen demanded publishers receive payment from AI companies who are taking their content. As publishers grapple with AI redirecting the attention they receive from consumers, what’s their path forward?

CloudX CEO Jim Payne – of MoPub and MAX fame – has a new startup that uses AI agents to take the pain (sorry, had to) out of mobile ad monetization.

On stage at the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting, IAB CEO David Cohen tore into AI companies, accusing them of “free riding” on publishers’ work – and calling it “stealing.”

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

AdMonsters joins its sister brand AdExchanger, strengthening its position as the leading platform for the ad tech, publisher and ad ops community.

Enjoy this weekly comic from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … and happy Thanksgiving!

Prebid’s future is up for grabs as the open-source project grows apart from the IAB Tech Lab, the industry’s self-appointed standards authority.

AI-enabled advertising could reduce ad loads on pages; Jimmy Kimmel is (still) causing a stir; and Microsoft is building an AI marketplace to ensure fair compensation for publishers.

From a $637 million PE acquisition of healthcare of a DSP to acquisitions of freshly minted startups, there’s been a flurry of ad tech deals this month. And they have one thing in common: AI.

Pause ads are going programmatic, as connected TV ad buying becomes more automated. Plus: how publishers are proposing to be compensated by AI companies – and the odds that they’ll receive what they are asking for.

Web publishers are seeing revenue and traffic evaporate thanks to AI searches; LG Ads is finally preparing to go public; and women’s dating safety app Tea has some shady marketing practices.

Walmart Connect’s deal with The Trade Desk isn’t so exclusive anymore; Amazon is competing with everyone except publishers; and Meta’s chatbots don’t exactly inspire confidence in the company’s ability to deliver effective AI tools.

With over $200 billion in programmatic spending on the table next year, maximizing yield is the name of the game for publishers in 2026. Capturing that opportunity demands maximum optionality across demand paths and signals. And with AI reshaping the landscape (referrals from ChatGPT to news publishers saw a 25x increase from the first half of 2024 to the first half of 2025, while traditional search traffic heads in the other direction) it is more important than ever for publishers to optimize their monetizable inventory.

Pixels attached to articles explaining a recent health diagnosis – without consent  – led Healthline to a record $1.55 million fine for violating CCPA. Plus: the new AI contract.

If journalists don’t decide the best use of AI in journalism, then AI firms will decide for them, says Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent,

There’s a decision! On Thursday, Judge Leonie Brinkema published her long-awaited ruling in US v. Google, finding Google guilty of having monopolized two online advertising markets.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

This year, Black Friday stretched on for days and days. And the retail holidays is evolving in other ways, as online shopping takes over.

Index Exchange CEO Andrew Casale, fresh off the witness stand for US v. Google, and AdExchanger’s courtroom reporter, Allison Schiff, join us to analyze the ad tech trial of the century.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

In a world without cookies, ads aren’t viewable and yield goes down. But it’s still early days. Mediavine SVP Amanda Martin shares early results from its Privacy Sandbox tests.

The industry is “at a critical inflection point in our digital evolution,” David Cohen told attendees at the 1,200-person-strong Annual Leadership Meeting in Florida on Monday.

The impact of tech on monetization – from SPO sustainability initiatives to the looming end of the cookie and the challenges of implementing its replacements – has publishers feeling jaded. Plus, for retail media fans: inside the Pantry Wars.