Why publishers should shift to selling agents, not ads

June 09, 2025

By Firsthand Michael Rubenstein, co-founder and co-CEO, Firsthand

The old model is breaking. Digital media’s foundational ad model — capturing attention and monetizing it through volume — is no longer sustainable. Publisher site traffic is declining, consumer behavior is evolving and AI-driven platforms are fundamentally changing how people discover, learn and act on information.

Licensing publisher content to AI platforms might seem like a lifeline, but it won’t replace advertising revenue. Worse, it risks eroding brand identity and severing direct customer relationships, as others become the front door to publishers’ intellectual property. It’s not a long-term solution for either revenue or relevance.Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday