Publisher State of the Union 2025

Publishers are at a tipping point, caught between rising ad demands, fractured tech stacks, and a cookieless future. The Publisher State of the Union 2025 report reveals how media leaders are navigating identity loss, scaling personalization, and doubling down on high-impact, reader-friendly monetization.

Inside the Report:

84% of publishers say email is important to their business—but only 18% personalize newsletters, leaving huge gaps in monetization and retention.
AI is gaining traction, but only 18% have integrated it meaningfully. Most are stuck in experimentation, missing its potential to scale personalization and content performance.
72% plan to increase ad density, even as most admit it harms UX—highlighting a clear tension between short-term revenue and long-term trust.
Only 14% have robust identity strategies, leaving the majority blind to who’s on their site and unable to personalize experiences or optimize ad targeting.
Reader revenue is rising, with 68% now offering DTC eCommerce and 100% of revenue leaders calling subscription platforms a must-have for 2025/26.

This isn’t just a trends snapshot, it’s a blueprint for publishing’s next chapter. Use it to recalibrate your tech stack, unify fragmented teams, and drive performance across every revenue stream.

By downloading this report, you'll also unlock access to our AI-powered analyst, an on-demand companion to help you explore trends by role, revenue stream, or technology. Ask specific questions, get tailored takeaways, and turn insights into action—faster.

“This report reflects the real-world challenges and strategies of publishing leaders across editorial, revenue, product, ad ops, and audience development, from the C-Suite to the hands-on managers making it all happen. It’s not theory, it’s what the industry’s most influential voices are doing right now to future-proof their business.”

- Diva Renton-Roderix, Director of Marketing in Ads & Publishing, Wunderkind