Entertainment remains one of the most resilient categories in household spending, even as many Americans look for ways to cut back. From concerts and travel to dining out and streaming subscriptions, people continue to seek out experiences that bring joy, escape, and connection.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, consumer spending on recreation services, including streaming, live events, and travel, grew by over 7% year-over-year in Q1 2025. This growth outpaced the overall increase in personal consumption, signaling strong demand for experience-based activities.
But strength in entertainment spending doesn’t mean consumers aren’t anxious. Inflation, recession fears, and rising prices are still top of mind. So, where do consumers draw the line, and what entertainment is worth the cost when budgets are tight?
New findings from Hub Entertainment Research show a notable increase in anxiety among consumers since late 2024, particularly about inflation and the risk of recession. This economic unease is prompting many viewers to reassess their spending on entertainment. Yet, unlike concerts, theme parks, and other one-time events, TV and streaming subscriptions appear relatively resistant to budget cuts and cancellations. Streaming’s staying power comes down to perceived value. Aside from vacations, TV and movie streaming rank above all other entertainment alternatives.
Price sensitivity for streaming subscriptions
Nearly nine in 10 viewers now say subscription prices are increasing more frequently. This sensitivity is prompting some to rethink their spending and consider switching to lower-cost, ad-supported tiers. More than half are willing to spend more on streaming if it allows them to reduce other discretionary entertainment costs.
Ad-supported models are generally becoming more appealing. The share of viewers who say they “can’t tolerate ads” continues to decline, dropping to just 11%, from 17% four years ago. Even among this ad-intolerant group, more are now saying they would prefer to save $4–5 per month by accepting ads, rather than pay for an ad-free experience.
Service aggregators play a key role in keeping subscribers engaged. Platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Roku, YouTube, and Apple TV help users manage their growing number of subscriptions. Half of all viewers now use an aggregator, and among 18- to 34-year-olds, that number jumps to 60%. Those who use aggregators are more likely to hold six or more subscriptions, while those without typically have just three or fewer.
Insert aggregator subscriptions chart
YouTube’s multiple products
YouTube is also an increasingly vital part of the media and entertainment ecosystem. Although many users still watch YouTube content on mobile devices, half of them now stream it regularly on television screens. YouTube’s suite of offerings, including its free, ad-supported content, outperforms both subscription and other free services in perceived value.
Despite its strong position, streaming is not immune to viewer pushback. While consumers rank it as one of the last things they’d cut, that sentiment hinges on continued value delivery. If prices rise too often or too steeply, even loyal subscribers may begin to reconsider.
Mark Loughney, Senior Consultant at Hub, notes that while consumers remain anxious about the economy, video subscriptions are among the last things they’re willing to cut. However, that’s only if streaming services don’t push prices too far.
In short, the data highlight a clear takeaway for both consumers and the industry: streaming remains a cornerstone of American entertainment spending. Its blend of variety, convenience, and value continues to resonate even in a tighter economic climate. Providers that keep prices in check, lean into flexible ad-supported tiers, and make discovery effortless stand to deepen that loyalty. With people’s concerns about the economy continuing to rise, the winners will be services that repeatedly prove one simple equation to viewers: more content, less friction, best value.
For media executives, streaming used to be a thorn in the side of linear TV. Not anymore. With consumers continuing to cut the cord and major players like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+ finally adding ad-supported tiers to their offerings, streaming has become the new front line of not just TV programming, but TV advertising too.
I was in Cannes a few weeks ago to meet with clients and understand their priorities for the year ahead. We had just come out with a new report on the rise of streaming TV and shared some impressive top numbers with the industry. But, unsurprisingly, they wanted to know where growth was most likely to come from for them.
It’s all well and good that auto, retail, finance, and pharma companies are spending over $1 billion on streaming platforms, they said, but which of those (and a dozen other) industries should they appeal to first? What types of advertisers within those industries might be most likely to respond? And for our media clients with both linear and streaming properties, how should they balance their media sales efforts between streaming and traditional TV?
To kick start the conversation, we decided to use our MediaRadar data to compare what brands have been spending on streaming platforms over the past few years to what they’ve been spending on linear TV. Mind you, not just linear TV but what most consider the bastion of linear TV: NFL broadcasts. The early results are remarkable and might affect how you think about your next media sales pitch.
Why NFL advertisers?
NFL games — and live sports in general — are tentpole events keeping traditional TV alive. However, streaming sports deals are multiplying and starting to lift media companies beyond major broadcasters too. Most football advertisers are in it for the reach and are well entrenched in linear TV advertising. However, many others are starting to recognize streaming as a natural extension of their traditional TV investments and a way to take their targeting capabilities to new heights. We thought that the intersection of those two advertising universes — streaming TV on one hand, and NFL games on linear TV on the other — would offer interesting contrasts and actionable insights for streaming media executives at a crucial time in their platforms’ development.
Another reason why this comparison is interesting is that advertisers spend about as much on NFL linear TV broadcasts ($8.5 billion during the 2024-25 season) as they do across all programs on streaming platforms ($7 billion during those same six months). So we’re not talking about two wildly different media channels with very unique advertising patterns and dynamics. It’s not streaming against the whole of linear TV and its $60 billion advertising market, for instance.
The overlap here is substantial. Figure 1 shows that between early August 2024 and early February 2025 (from the NFL pre-season to Super Bowl LIX), 23% of all the brands in our analysis advertised both on streaming platforms and during an NFL game on linear TV.
Figure 1: Overlap between streaming and linear TV advertisers during the 2024-25 NFL season Source: MediaRadar
Football TV advertisers make clutch streaming partners
Of all the brands that advertised on streaming platforms in that six-month period, roughly half aired commercials during NFL games on linear TV as well. That’s been a fairly consistent picture over the years, as Figure 2 illustrates. The share of brands that advertise exclusively on linear TV has also been shrinking every year.
Figure 2: Share of the number of streaming and linear TV advertisers during the last four NFL seasons Source: MediaRadar
There’s still a long way to go to convince all of those brands to give streaming a chance. However, those that have made the jump already contribute the lion’s share of streaming TV revenues. Figure 3 shows that they represented 23% of all advertisers during the 2024-25 NFL season butaccounted for 64% of all media spend in our analysis (and 87% of all streaming media spend).
Figure 3: Share of streaming and NFL media spend on linear TV during the last four NFL seasons Source: MediaRadar
Move up the chains
What type of brand should your media sales team pursue first? On average, beer & wine brands spent $1.2 million on all streaming platforms from Aug ‘24 to Feb ‘25, but they spent nearly $7.4 million during NFL games on linear TV. There’s plenty of room to grow. During that same period, telecom advertisers spent $2.7 million on streaming and $6.5 million on NFL TV broadcasts. Car manufacturers: $4.5 million and $11.7 million. Figure 4 shows the current gap in media spend for a typical brand in a number of sports-friendly industries.
Figure 4: Average media spend per advertiser during the 2024-25 NFL season (million dollars) Source: MediaRadar
In some sectors like restaurants, pharma, or insurance, streaming budgets are already on par with football budgets on linear TV, but they’re well behind in many other popular sectors. As more NFL games and other sports franchises transition to streaming, there’s a clear opportunity for media sales teams to bring those budgets closer together.
That doesn’t mean that streaming growth will always come at the expense of linear TV, of course. Between Aug ‘24 and Feb ‘25, Modelo tripled its streaming budget (from $4.4 million to $14.5 million) while also increasing its NFL linear TV budget by 20% (from $39.4 million to $47.2 million). But if you want to move the chains for your digital platform, you could do a lot worse than sports advertisers new to streaming and used to spending a lot on TV.
With the 2025-26 NFL season right around the corner, it’s time to study the field and draw up a winning playbook.
Note: MediaRadar’s streaming tracking expanded to include Netflix during H2 2022 and Disney+ during H1 2023. Insignificant variance to the number of streaming advertisers. Analysis not adjusted and reflective of current conditions.
But, unlike a number of other legacy social networks, the platform continues to go from strength to strength. Back in 2022, I argued on these pages that media companies need a dedicated YouTube strategy, a sentiment that remains equally relevant three years on.
Here are six reasons why many media companies need to reconsider the value they attach to YouTube, and six proven tactics to help maximize their impact and approach to the platform.
YouTube enjoys huge reach and engagement
According to the Business of Apps website, YouTube has more than 2.7 billion monthly active users. Over 238 million of these users are in the U.S., the StatsUp site notes. In terms of reach, that makes it either the biggest, or second largest, social network in the world, depending on your source. Either way, it’s a huge audience.
Lastly, engagement dwarves other social networks. “YouTube takes the lion’s share of … social media time,” commentsSimon Kemp, the Chief Analyst at DataReportal. “The world spends almost twice as much time using YouTube as it spends using the platform’s next nearest rival, TikTok.”
Despite this, many publishers continue to treat YouTube as an afterthought compared to shinier, newer, visual-oriented platforms like the aforementioned TikTok or Instagram.
Esra Dogramaci, a digital news executive and YouTube specialist, who has worked for international broadcasters including Al Jazeera, BBC, DW, and others, agrees. “News organizations [and] publishers should have always been paying attention to YouTube,” she told me. “We often forget that YouTube is the second biggest search engine, and [the] world’s largest video platform.”
It’s a core platform for reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha
Efforts to more effectively engage younger audiences is a key goal for many media companies. It’s no surprise that YouTube can be a pivotal plank in these strategies. Afterall, as Rande Price, VP, Research at Digital Content Next, recently reflected, “prioritizing video formats that are concise, authentic, and visually native to social platforms is essential to reaching Gen Z.”
Data published at the end of last year found that more than seven in 10 Gen Z consumers (71%) discover new media content (such as music, podcasts, and TV series) through YouTube, only just behind social media as a whole (72%).
Moreover, 73% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 (a mix of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, a demographic born after 2010) say they use YouTube every day. According to insights from the Pew Research Center, that means YouTube is “the most widely used and visited platform” among this age group. That includes 15% who said that their use of the platform is “almost constant.”
Short-form video is growing in popularity
There are multiple ways to harness YouTube to attract younger audiences. As Price points out, “tone, pace, and relevance” are intrinsic to this. Those sentiments are applicable to all content on the platform, including YouTube Shorts, an area seeing considerable growth. Last month, Neal Mohan, YouTube’s CEO, revealed that “YouTube Shorts are now averaging over 200 billion daily views!”
That audience isn’t just Gen Z, although they are a significant share of Shorts consumers.
Publisher’s short video strategies therefore should encompass YouTube, as well as TikTok, and Reels on Facebook and Instagram. These formats can also encourage consumption of long-form video, as well as acting as their own, standalone, genre.
“YouTube Shorts is… the ‘take away’ version prior to the ‘dine in’ experience,” contends Dogramaci. She argues that Shorts can serve as a gateway to your main channel especially if it is fully optimized. (For tips on how to do this, read to the end of the article!)
“It appeals to younger audiences with short-form content,” she says, “provided that you’ve done all the housekeeping in terms of channel and video optimization.”
According to Edison, YouTube is the most popular service for listening to podcasts in the United States, ahead of Spotify and Apple. So, if content creators aren’t distributing their podcasts on YouTube, they are potentially missing out.
Furthermore, “YouTube is often the first place people go when looking for a new podcast,” the platform’s blog claimed earlier this year. To aid with this discovery, in May, the company began releasing a weekly chart of YouTube’s Top 100 podcast shows in the U.S.
And as the differentiation between video and audio content continues to blur, Gen Z is driving much of this trend, Edison found. Their research stated that this age group feels that “video provides a better understanding of context/tone through facial expressions and gestures,” and it also enables consumers to feel “more connected to the podcaster(s).”
It’s big on screens of all sizes
Although the smaller screen garners a considerable amount of YouTube consumption, the growth of connected TV’s (CTV) has also been pivotal in YouTube’s continued growth.
That said, the platform is at pains to point out that this isn’t the same as “the ‘old’ television,” pointing to Shorts (which are popular on TV, just ask my kids), live streams, podcasts, sports, and full shows, as part of the platform’s content mix.
Given these findings, in an age of investment in FAST channels (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) it’s a reminder that brands and media companies still need to factor YouTube into their video strategies. Its TV audience is simply too big to ignore.
YouTube matters to news consumers
The variety of content on YouTube, and its reputation as a source for entertainment, influencers, and User Generated Content (UGC) can mask its popularity as a platform for news and information. New data from the Digital News Report 2025 emphasizes this. Around a third of their global sample uses YouTube (30%) for news each week, just behind Facebook (36%). Given that weekly usage of YouTube for any purpose stood at 63% this is a high percentage of global digital news consumers using the platform for news.
Source: Slide 15 of Esra Dogramaci’s presentation (see below)
In major markets such as India, the use of YouTube for news stands at more than 50%, an important consideration for international news brands seeking to gain a foothold in the world’s most populous nation. Large news audiences on the platform can also be found in other major emerging markets such as Nigeria, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Brazil.
Making inroads into these markets won’t necessarily be easy for traditional media brands, however, as much of the consumption is centered around what the Report authors refer to as “alternative media voices.” This category includes online influencers and personalities, independent journalists, as well as politicians who can go direct to audiences, by-passing traditional media gatekeepers.
Nevertheless, given concerns about misinformation on YouTube – and other social networks – there are opportunities for trusted news and media brands to meet user needs for news and information. And they are in a position to do so in a manner that also offers the credibility that audiences desire.
Conclusion
YouTube’s reach, variety of content offerings, and resonance with younger and news audiences mean that it is an essential distribution platform for publishers in 2025. Of course, it’s not without its challenges. Around 70% of content is algorithmically recommended, meaning that YouTube’s recommendation engine can divert viewers away from publisher channels to other creators. It can also be very difficult to drive traffic from the site back to your own properties.
Yet, YouTube’s size, versatility, and reach – especially with Gen Z and teens – make it hard to overlook. Whether your goal is audience growth, revenue diversification, or brand-building, a dedicated YouTube strategy will be a must for many content creators. Publishers who invest in understanding and leveraging YouTube’s evolving ecosystem will be best positioned to thrive in the digital content landscape; and the pivotal role YouTube plays in this space.
Bringing it all together: 6 essential tips to successfully implement a YouTube strategy
Esra Dogramaci has been leading teams innovating on YouTube for more than a decade. Her experience includes leading the BBC World Service YouTube channels, through to receiving a YouTube Innovation Grant in 2023. The grant enabled her to develop and iterate on YouTube Shorts, while working as the Managing Editor at SBS, one of Australia’s public broadcasters.
In June 2025, Esra presented a session on YouTube for Changer on behalf of the Google Digital News Initiative on YouTube for busy newsrooms. The presentation is here.
Based on that presentation and our conversation, here are six practical recommendations that will enable media companies to nail their presence on YouTube.
Ditch the “Archive” Mindset: Stop treating YouTube as a mere “archive or simple video upload mechanism,” she says. Many media companies with a broadcast arm fall into the trap of “cutting and pasting TV content onto YouTube.” This material “regularly fail[s] to perform because the audiences are different.”
Meet User Needs: Success on YouTube is “less about volume, and more about understanding your audience and curating an offering that will resonate with them,” Dogramaci advises.
She highlights how former Vox producers Cleo Abram and Johnny Harris use YouTube to illustrate this. They “upload once or a few times a month and their videos will typically perform better” because “they know their audience, so they can engineer their content to perform.”
Presented in a style that “is a far cry from the buttoned down presenter reading your evening TV news bulletin,” their work remains substantial and substantive. It’s not dumbed down and connects with audiences by explaining “why this matters,” or “why you should know,” or “why this affects you.”
Prioritizing the Right Metrics: Don’t get fixated on views alone. “A view can be one second, it can be 10 minutes, it can be the same person watching a clip over and over again.” Instead, Dogramaci advises that the most important performance indicators on YouTube are watch time, subscribers, and active subscribers.
Watch time, representing the “actual amount of content consumed,” is crucial; “the more the better,” as it signals resonance and makes your video more likely to be surfaced.” Think of subscribers as your “loyal fans,” she suggests.
Engineer Every Video for Peak Performance: This means obsessing over the thumbnail, a “shop window” that must entice viewers. Your headline must be catchy, and accurate, supported by keywords, tags, and accurate video descriptions. A great banner, custom URL, and content organized into playlists, are also vital for success.
Embrace Niche and New Formats: The “best performing channels are those that know their audience and don’t try to be everything to everyone.” Even big broadcasters might see that their best-performing content is focused on niches. This content, like Deutsche Welle’s “dress code” series, can be evergreen. In contrast to broadcast, “YouTube content [often] has a much longer shelf life,” Dogramaci says.
Implement Continuous Improvement Don’t just upload and forget. Dogramaci recommends bringing different YouTube teams and channels together to learn from each other. By sharing best practices, Dogramaci helped oversee growth at 20 BBC YouTube channels, akin to “the biggest growth of any off-platform product in those years (300% in watch time and 550% in subscribers).”
In applying these principles, media leaders should avoid simply piling more work onto busy teams. “The bottom line is… always about doing less, just doing it better,” she says.
Amid nonstop news cycles and rising media skepticism, one audience remains deeply engaged and increasingly strategic in how they consume information. Decision-makers in the UK aren’t just reading the news; they’re curating it across various platforms, formats, and technologies to stay ahead of the curve.
Portland’s Decision Makers and the News research explores this dynamic in depth and takes a deep look at the media habits of UK professionals, what sources they trust, and how their habits are evolving. The findings shed light on a critical audience that often shapes public discourse while navigating a constantly evolving digital landscape.
Curators, not merely consumers
The report confirms that decision-makers are not passive news consumers. They are intentional curators of their media diet. While 41% of the UK public say they actively seek out news, the number rises to 56% among decision-makers. They build a personalized portfolio of sources, balancing legacy outlets like The Guardian and BBC with emerging platforms like Substack, Medium, and YouTube.
Notably, this group reads deeply and broadly. While traditional print brands remain influential, 60% of respondents still read newspaper content; digital and audio sources are also firmly entrenched. Nearly 80% of decision-makers subscribe to at least one news-focused email newsletter, and 42% regularly listen to news podcasts, double the national average.
AI is changing decision-makers’ media habits
Interestingly, 81% of decision-makers use AI tools to stay informed, nearly twice the rate of the general population. Platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot are becoming go-to sources for clarity and context. For 8% of respondents, AI is already their first stop when seeking further information on a story, just shy of Wikipedia’s 10%. This shift highlights a new layer of influence: what AI tools see and how they weigh information may shape the perceptions of this elite audience.
While their media habits are evolving, decision-makers continue to place a high value on trusted news institutions. The Guardian emerges as the top newspaper brand among this group in terms of consumption and trust, followed by The Times, The Sun, and the Financial Times. On the broadcast front, the BBC remains dominant, reaching 79% of decision-makers and earning the highest trust rating (56%). YouTube, interestingly, is now the third most-trusted video platform (47%).
A preference for digestible short form media
Though highly engaged, decision-makers are not immune to news fatigue. One-third say they’re less interested in news than they were a year ago, with lack of time cited as the top reason. In fact, 39% prefer short-form articles over long-form content, nearly double the 21% who still favor in-depth readings.
Newsletters are a clear winner, with the BBC News Daily, Politico Playbooks, and Guardian briefings among the most popular. Podcasts also thrive, with “Sky News Daily” and “The Rest is Politics” topping the charts.
In today’s media ecosystem, the most influential sources are those that score high on both trust and consumption. The report’s “trust matrix” shows that the BBC, The Guardian, YouTube, and Instagram sit at the intersection of those two forces. These are the formats and platforms that shape the conclusions of decision-makers.
These findings show that reaching today’s influential decision makers demands a multi-format strategy built on trust and optimized for AI. Traditional outlets remain important, but so do newsletters, podcasts, LinkedIn posts, and being visible in AI-generated summaries. In this landscape, brevity and discoverability are as critical as reach.
Growth doesn’t wait. It doesn’t pause for delayed reports or accommodate teams buried in manual tasks. For ad revenue operations, the ability to act fast and decisively is everything.
Yet that ability is often hindered by systems that can’t keep up. Performance data is fragmented. Insights arrive too late to influence outcomes. Campaigns move forward, but the clarity needed to guide them doesn’t. The challenge isn’t ambition, it’s having the infrastructure to match the moment.
This is where automation makes a measurable difference. By centralizing data across the order-to-cash process, it replaces manual workflows with connected, insight-driven ad operations that support every stage of execution. Ad operations teams now move faster and can handle significantly higher volumes without added overhead. For revenue leaders, that means faster delivery, greater throughput, and the ability to realize more revenue, more quickly, without increasing costs.
And the place where that transformation starts, where revenue impact is most often overlooked, is pre-sales.
Where it starts: Pre-sales as a revenue engine
Revenue performance doesn’t start at launch, it starts in pre-sales. This phase shapes deal velocity, win probability, and the data that drives downstream performance. When it’s slow or manual, the entire pipeline feels the impact.
In many organizations, media sales proposals and pitches are still built manually using disconnected tools. Media plans are assembled in static templates. Approvals and contracts crawl through siloed systems. And the materials that support a strong pitch—case studies, screenshots, and past campaign insights—are often scattered across teams, outdated, or hard to access. Each delay slows time-to-close and puts pressure on margins before a campaign even begins.
Instead of spending time pitching, negotiating, and selling, highly compensated sales teams are bogged down by administrative work. Their energy is spent formatting documents, chasing approvals, or searching for assets – tasks that dilute performance and delay revenue. It’s a drain not just on growth potential, but on morale. When talent is buried in low-value tasks, both opportunity and engagement suffer.
Automation removes these delays. Campaign details are pulled directly from intake. Media plans are generated using real-time inputs like inventory, pricing, and past performance. Contracts move faster with integrated e-signature tools.
For revenue leaders, the impact is clear: faster deal cycles, higher conversion rates, and a pipeline that’s built to scale. And the same automation that accelerates pre-sales also streamlines execution once the work begins.
What ad operations automation changes in execution
Even when campaigns start strong, execution can slow them down. Teams lose time to reactive fixes, delayed handoffs, and siloed systems. Progress stalls when performance issues aren’t caught early.
Automation resolves those inefficiencies. Campaign setup becomes more consistent. QA and trafficking run faster with fewer errors. Tasks that once required multiple check-ins happen in sequence, with cleaner execution.
Work moves faster and with less friction. For revenue leaders, that means fewer delays, earlier course correction, and more predictable delivery.
Closing the visibility gap
But execution is only part of the equation. Without real-time insight into pacing, performance, and risk, even the best-run campaigns can fall short.
That’s where automation delivers strategic value. By syncing data across systems, it creates a unified view of campaign performance. Leaders don’t need to wait for weekly updates or cross-team reports. They can act in the moment.
This kind of visibility shortens the distance between signal and response. It enables better pacing decisions, sharper forecasting, and stronger margins. Our research found that 85% of advertising professionals believe automation reduces costs and increases efficiency. These benefits directly strengthen revenue performance.
That level of insight is foundational for scaling.
How automation unlocks scalable execution
Sustained growth requires more than high-performing teams. It requires systems that can keep pace with rising demand. For many media organizations, that’s where scaling efforts stall. Capacity becomes harder to plan. Delivery timelines stretch. Margin pressure increases.
Ad operations automation changes what’s possible. By eliminating repetitive work and standardizing core processes, it reduces the operational drag that slows down growth. Teams can manage more volume without compromising consistency or adding cost.
It’s not about doing the same work faster. It’s about creating infrastructure that supports scale with discipline. For revenue leaders, that means more predictable delivery, fewer operational risks, and the ability to grow without constantly expanding headcount.
And it doesn’t have to happen all at once. Many organizations start with a high-friction area, like pre-sales or campaign setup and expand from there. This kind of phased approach lowers risk, speeds up ROI, and gives revenue teams a flexible way to scale smarter.
Why visibility is revenue leadership’s edge
For revenue leaders, delayed insight leads to delayed action. When data is scattered or slow to surface, decisions are made with uncertainty. And that uncertainty shows up in missed targets, reduced margins, and slower growth.
Ad operations automation changes that by making campaign and performance data available in real time, across the entire order-to-cash process. Leaders can see what’s working, what’s not, and where to take action, without waiting on reports or chasing updates across teams.
It’s not just faster access to data. It’s the ability to lead with clarity. When the full picture is visible, decisions get sharper, timing gets tighter, and results get stronger.
Automation that delivers on revenue
Automation in Ad Rev Ops isn’t about fixing processes. It’s about improving performance. Ad operations automation shortens deal cycles, reduces delivery risk, and exposes what’s working while there’s still time to act.
For revenue leaders, the upside is real. Faster decisions. Tighter forecasts. More control over margin and outcomes. In a market where hesitation costs, automation gives you leverage – and a path to profitable growth.
Live events can be a vital pillar of a media business’ revenue strategy. They provide unparalleled sponsorship opportunities, direct revenue through ticket sales, and the content can often be repackaged and repurposed elsewhere after the fact. As an example, Atlantic Media’s events wing now accounts for over 20% of the business’ overall revenue.
However live events are often an expression of the “soft power” of a media brand. They act as a statement of the company’s influence, whether through big name sponsors and celebrities that attend, or by effectively setting the agenda for the industry through insight and expertise. They are a demonstration of the media company’s relevance for both its audience and potential commercial partners, whether B2C or B2B.
It is no surprise, then, that events remain a priority for many media businesses. However, while they are a source of revenue unto themselves, they are also being employed to support other revenue streams, including subscriptions.
Events and subscription marketing
Live events – especially the flagship conferences and exhibitions held by consumer titles – are exclusive by nature. While their content is often repackaged in article or video form, there is a cachet in attending them in-person and rubbing shoulders with celebrities and peers.
That exclusive nature is therefore being used by savvy subscription- or membership-focused media businesses. Access to those events is desirable, and is being used in subscription marketing material throughout the funnel. The Guardian, for example, offers its members discounted tickets to events at its owned-and-operated live events space in London, a physical benefit in addition to its central message of supporting its journalism.
However, events can support subscription growth as well. Anna Bross, SVP Communications for The Atlantic explains that, “Access to our events is a selling point from the first welcome and onboarding for our subscribers. We also market subscriptions in tandem with our events: ‘become a subscriber to unlock the full breadth of our journalism’.”
“The Atlantic has focused on exclusive events benefits for subscribers, particularly for our flagship event The Atlantic Festival: things like early access to ticket sales; subscriber-only event moments; and discounts. We have also produced subscriber-only virtual events.”
Brad Greenawalt, Vice President of Subscriptions at Hearst Magazines, notes that the appeal of live events can be used throughout the funnel when it comes to converting readers. “We view live events as an opportunity across the funnel. It can be a great audience expansion opportunity, getting new audiences closer to the brand and experience, as well as a lower funnel strategy for more niche premium subscription events.
“Live events are a key selling point for our premium memberships and help drive subscriber conversion and retention.” He cites the UK’s ELLE Collective’s Beauty Masterclasses and GoodHousekeeping’s VIP membership Book Club conversations with authors as some of the events that work especially well for its subscription-oriented publications.
In line with the ongoing trend towards making access to journalists a selling point for subscriptions, live events are also being used and marketed as a way to speak to those journalists in-person. Every organization spoken to for this article mentioned that live events are being used to deepen engagement by way of connecting subscribers with the journalists whose content they consume.
Dow Jones’ VP, Leadership and Event Marketing Laura Verklin said that “Audiences used to be dependent on news organizations for access to information. Now that information is somewhat of a commodity but reliability is the differentiator. Our events allow us to foster a deep sense of trust and transparency with our audience by allowing them to engage and interact directly with reporters and editors while they’re on stage with global decision makers. It underscores the Journal’s editorial integrity and access to global leaders shaping our future.”
Superfans and creating touchpoints
The rule of thumb is that it is far easier (and, crucially, cheaper) to prevent a subscriber from churning than it is to convert a new reader to a subscriber. As a result, events are being considered as a major means of developing the relationship between publication and their readers to a degree where they will pay to support its mission.
More than half (63%) of audience members who complete post-event surveys for the Guardian, for example, say they are more likely to financially support the Guardian after attending one of its events.
A Guardian spokesperson explained that is due in part to using the live events to showcase the Guardian’s unique selling points during the event, which in turn supports those same messages in its membership marketing materials: “Our audiences appreciate the opportunity to ask their questions to our journalists and guests to feel closer to our journalism. It is also a great opportunity to showcase the human element of Guardian journalism in contrast to the rise of AI-generated content.”
Greenawalt also cites post-event feedback as being a significant source of audience information. The team uses the insights provided to tinker with and inform future events and other marketing strategies.
Bross explains that “Hyper-engaged subscribers are more likely to attend events. But those who attend events, whether hyper-engaged or not, are less likely to churn than those who do not attend events. Ultimately, we utilize our experiences to strengthen the perceived value of a subscription, deepen brand affinity with The Atlantic and give our subscribers unique access to our journalists and journalism.”
Creating events for new subscribers
However, that isn’t to say that events are aimed at or even solely marketed towards “superfans.” While these highly-engaged audience members are often the most lucrative for consumer brands, they are also touchpoints for new potential members. Publications are creating events with those new members in mind. The Guardian spokesperson explains that “It depends on the event. It is true that many of our supporters who frequently read the Guardian attend our events. Different speakers and topics also attract different audiences.”
That considered, curated approach is as important for information-based publications, which are predicated on appealing to very specific audiences. Verklin explains that “Exclusive access to our live events is a key differentiator when we market a subscription or membership to one of our C-Suite communities. These moments of in-person connection help deepen trust in the brand and create tangible value that differentiates a premium subscription from more transactional options.”
So as with trial memberships or limited access to some content on a timed basis, events are being created as a ‘lure’ for potential subscribers. Greenawalt says: “Although events draw in highly engaged members, we’ve also found success using it for our new audiences as well. Our newest membership, Veranda Gold Design Society, offered members the opportunity to go on an exclusive tour at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach with Editor-in-Chief Steele Marcoux earlier this year.“
Event strategy and subscription marketing strategies, then, are becoming more intertwined. Each is being used to support the other, with discounted tickets or exclusive access being used to demonstrate the value of a subscription throughout the funnel.
In a digital environment where information moves quickly and influencers often shape public opinion it can seem like Gen Z is turning away from traditional journalism. But young people continue to seek credible, professional news, especially when stories are significant or hit close to home. At Owasso High School in Oklahoma, students did just that following the unexpected death of a classmate. Despite false or misleading posts circulating online, many actively sought accurate information and turned to reliable news sources that they felt they could trust.
News literacy advocate Hannah Covington highlights this behavior in an article detailing her conversations with teens about conspiracy theories. Sixteen-year-old Andie Murphy, for example, deleted Instagram over concerns about AI-driven data collection. Once a regular consumer of influencer content, she now checks multiple professional outlets before accepting information as accurate. “I just couldn’t trust what I was seeing anymore,” she said. Her shift reflects a broader change in how Gen Z engages with news.
Recent 2025 studies reinforce this news trust trend
Research from Raptive supports this noted shift in Gen Z’s relationship with news and information. Their study finds that 49% of Gen Z actively verify online information by checking trusted, credible sources, while 55% say they trust content from established experts over influencers or peer posts. Notably, 39% view social platforms as less credible compared to open-web sources. These findings reflect a generation that is not only skeptical, but also intentional in its pursuit of accurate information.
According to the Poynter Institute, while teens may not frequently use dedicated news apps, they actively seek out reliable sources like CNN and the Associated Press during moments of uncertainty. About 20% of surveyed adolescents say they encounter fake news daily. However, many report that they turn to trusted news outlets when crises hit.
Similarly, Common Sense Media found that teens are increasingly wary of digital content, especially AI-generated material. In its 2025 research, teens express deep skepticism toward manipulated images and videos, with one respondent noting, “I already doubt everything I read online.” This mistrust is driving more teens toward professional journalism for verification and reassurance.
Peer fact-checking reinforces news habits
Covington’s reporting also highlights how peer influence reinforces this fact-checking culture. In school libraries and hallways, students openly challenge each other around misinformation. These real-time corrections help shape a community that values accuracy and critical thinking. For Gen Z, information vetting is becoming a social skill.
While teens may not engage with mainstream media daily, they don’t dismiss it. Covington’s interviews confirm that students return to professional news brands when a story feels urgent or emotionally charged. “If it’s big enough, I’ll check real news sites,” one student explained. That behavior underscores an important truth: for Gen Z, trust in established news sources and journalism often reactivates in moments of crisis.
This pattern aligns with Common Sense Media’s findings, which note that teens are eager for tools that help them navigate digital uncertainty. While skepticism runs high, so does the demand for guidance. Likewise, Poynter’s research shows that even teens regularly exposed to misinformation seek clarity from reputable sources during confusing or high-stakes events.
Gen Z’s relationship with news is complex but far from disengaged. They are critical of what they see, cautious about interpreting it, and selective in who they trust. When news matters, especially during confusion, fear, or grief, they turn to professional journalism for clarity. Their behavior suggests a desire not just for content, but for credibility. In a noisy and uncertain information landscape, Gen Z continues to seek out trustworthy news.
It’s easy to feel like publishers have little recourse to the fast-track of AI adoption. Big Tech keeps updating its offerings, cribbing more content, clobbering website traffic, and battling for legal traction. This is a wake-up call.
On the other side, consumers keep changing their consumption habits. They increasingly turn to AI for search. They accept the answers provided by AI Overviews (even if they know about AI hallucinations), and reduce their click-throughs to publishers.
Suffice to say, we’re in the messy middle. Media companies and independent publishers have been left to fend for themselves.
Some have been turning to the courts, fighting against AI companies big and small, managing individual battle after battle in the hopes of pushing back against the latest attack on our business model.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Publishers are better off working together to set standards for what they want when it comes to AI, from negotiations to government legislation, rather than piecemeal settlements and implementation that might not always go our way. One way we can proactively do just that: Consider setting an industry standard for do-not-scrape policies.
This isn’t the time to sit back while AI companies help themselves to the internet’s creative work. At Raptive, we work with publishers to find ways to help them better protect their content and prepare for what’s next.
Do not scrape
Blocking AI crawlers from sites isn’t new. Publishers have been doing so for years. As Axios reported in 2023, per Originality.AI data, some 20% of the top 1000 websites have been blocking crawlers from their sites. Back in August of that year, after OpenAI announced its GPTBot crawler, major news publishers like The New York Times, Reuters and CNN, among others, made public that they would block the crawler from their sites.
The publishers aren’t alone in pushing back against the scraping. Last week, Cloudflare rolled out a new a permission-based system for AI crawlers, becoming the first internet infrastructure provider to block AI crawlers by default.
Reddit, meanwhile, has been waging its own battle against content scraping. Last June, for example, the company updated its robot exclusion protocol to have firmer restrictions against the third-party companies that crawl the company’s content; this followed the shift to charge for API access, enabling the company to monetize its vast user-generated content and control how AI companies use its data for model training. Earlier this month, Reddit filed suit against AI company Anthropic with claims that the company had “obtained access or tried to obtain access to Reddit data more than 100,000 times,” reported The New York Times.
Until recently, crawlers’ main function seemed to benefit publishers and platforms alike: traffic. Sites allowed their content to be crawled, and in doing so, they would get the monetizable eyeballs they relied upon. Robot.txt code allowed publishers and platforms to make clear who could scrape their content and what they could do with it.
That gets a lot more complicated when AI companies are the ones doing the scraping. They take content without permission and use it to benefit their companies without compensating the publishers, platforms, or creators. Even with do-not-scrape policies in place, AI companies have been reportedly trying to get around those policies to continue scraping the content and using it for their benefit.
If AI companies are crawling content, serving AI Overviews and link-less search replies that cut traffic to websites without crediting or compensating the originators of that content for said content, it’s only a matter of time until the very companies AI is scraping no longer exist. Figuring out a model for compensation for publishers, platforms and creators isn’t tomorrow’s issue–it’s today’s survival.
The future of the internet
Media companies can’t ignore tanking traffic and stolen content and hope these issues will solve themselves. Publishers need to be proactive and meet the moment. They must not only protect their content but also their brands, livelihoods, and the future of the internet. They need to be prepared for the potential legal battles that they will need to fight to ensure that their content isn’t endlessly scraped. We’re urging others to meet this moment head-on.
The future of the web shouldn’t just reward a few players who happened to move fast on AI adoption. Publishers need to remember the lessons of the print-to-digital shift: This is another seismic turning point, and getting left behind again isn’t an option.
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