Publishers count the costs of a pandemic

New research points to significant shifts in the strategic realities of publishers, as the revenue diversification that was increasingly important in 2019 and the beginning of 2020 recede in importance.

Silver linings

As with other parts of the internet economy, many publishers saw their commerce interests increase in importance. While it is unlikely to plug other holes in the business model, the curatorial potential of trusted outlets could well continue to grow in importance.  

Method: Digiday polled 126 publishing professionals in July (Q3 2021).

Three key points

• Publishers are finding that directly-sold advertising has become significantly more important to revenue compared to a year
• Alternative revenue streams (events, etc.) playing a smaller role than 6-12 months ago. For instance, subscriptions, have remained mostly flat though they continue to provide a large revenue stream. Branded content’s importance has diminished.
• Affiliate links are increasingly key to publishers, with the percentage of respondents saying they provide a moderate amount of revenue rising to 30% from an earlier survey in Q1 2021.

Sourced from Digiday