Mather 2025 Outlook

By Pete Doucette, Senior Managing Director of Consulting, Dustin Tetley, VP of Operations and Data Science, Katherine Ruane, Director of Strategic Marketing, Madelin Zwingelberg, Director of Consulting, Luke Magerko, Director of Consulting, Dan Kirchberger, Director of Consulting, Arvid Tchivzhel SVP of Technology at Mather.

The year ahead holds exciting opportunities for the news media industry. With insights drawn from over 700 global brands, this outlook highlights seven key trends shaping the future of monetization, operations, and technology.

A key evolution is how publishers approach artificial intelligence (AI). Instead of treating it as a standalone strategy, publishers are asking, “Where can we integrate AI into our broader strategies for success?” AI has become a foundational tool for driving growth, streamlining workflows, and enhancing audience engagement.

These trends demonstrate how innovation and audience-focused strategies are transforming the way publishers deliver impactful journalism, grow revenue, and navigate an evolving landscape.

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Shifting to More Balanced Revenue Strategies

The era of prioritizing volume growth at all costs is over. Publishers are moving away from traditional one-size-fits-all approaches, adopting more precise targeting to maximize value across diverse revenue streams, including direct-to-consumer-revenue, ?premium advertising, and programmatic ads.

AI and predictive analytics are set to play a pivotal role in this evolution, enabling publishers to identify high-value segments and adjust strategies in real time to optimize for total revenue. This shift reflects a growing emphasis on capturing digital revenue potential and achieving a balanced mix for long-term sustainability.

To meet these demands, publishers must restructure teams to foster collaboration between advertising and subscription revenue streams, modernize their tech stacks for seamless data access, and implement tools that allow for dynamic, audience-specific decisions across the entire lifecycle.

AI and predictive analytics are set to play a pivotal role in this evolution, enabling publishers to identify high-value segments and?adjust strategies in real time?to optimise for total revenue. This shift reflects a growing emphasis on capturing digital revenue potential and achieving a balanced mix for long-term sustainability.

To meet these demands, publishers must restructure teams to foster collaboration between advertising and subscription revenue streams, modernise their tech stacks for seamless data access, and implement tools that allow for dynamic, audience-specific decisions across the entire lifecycle.