Originals

Publishers aren’t short on industry conversation. They’re short on clear, usable options that can move revenue without turning into a three-month research project.

For publishers navigating AI, working sessions like AI Publisher Response Live are all about pressure-testing assumptions before they calcify into strategy. As we learnt in the latest episode, where Rob was joined by guest speakers Amanda Sabreah and Scott Messer, the AI moment is forcing publishers and adops teams to confront an uncomfortable question: what do you actually control?

CTV has long been positioned as the crown jewel of digital media – brand-safe, high-attention, living room inventory that commands premium budgets. Yet behind the promise of premium CPMs, many media owners are discovering a tougher reality.

This isn’t an article about AI. This is an article about viewing publishers as more than just owned and operated traffic and views. Instead, we should view publishers as brands that reach audiences. Not just any audience or individual on your website and/or app, but your audience all across the internet.

Hazel Broadley speaks with Travis Ayer, Director of Business Development at adops.com, to find out how Elsevier approached consolidation, made email advertising workable within existing tools, and created flexible support for peak workloads – without adding headcount.

Programmatic has expanded reach and revenue, but has also increased exposure to malicious, policy-violating ads that move faster than traditional controls can keep up with.

The big question for the first half of 2026 is: how do publishers protect, productize, and scale what they already have in a world shaped by AI, automation, and fewer traditional clicks? Let’s dig in.