Two digital publishers are getting back into the print game this year, which is a sentence likely hard to believe in 2024.

And while the advertising revenue opportunities of print are a mixed bag, execs at BDG’S Nylon and Complex NTWRK’s Complex say they aren’t necessarily hanging their hats on this being the brand new revenue driver going forward. Instead, they’re using their relaunched print products as more of a branding vehicle and a funnel into other revenue streams like subscriptions, commerce and events.

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After a volatile 2023 in which publishers’ revenues were less lucrative than expected and the media industry witnessed an ongoing cycle of layoffs, publishers are placing their bets on both traditional and alternative revenue streams in 2024. Digiday recently spoke with executives at Condé Nast, Forbes, The Atlantic, The Guardian and The Independent about their current revenue strategies. What follows are their thoughts on key revenue trends in the industry, including affiliate commerce, diversification of revenue streams and global business expansion.

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In the back half of last year, it looked like publishers were getting ready to dial up their events businesses as a means of driving more revenue outside of ads. But as 2024 rolls on, it looks like the industry might not be going down that path after all.

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The 25-year-old fashion, entertainment and culture publication Nylon went digital-only in 2017, but owner BDG is officially reviving the print magazine this year — albeit biannually. 

Debuting with a limited 50,000-issue run, the magazine will be distributed on newsstands, in the lobbies of high end boutiques, hotels and airport lounges and at Nylon House events, vs. being available via subscriptions, according to Emma Rosenblum, chief content officer at BDG. But that number and distribution model could change based on the reception from readers and advertisers alike, she added.  

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In this week’s Digiday+ Research Briefing, we examine publishers’ reservations about Google’s Privacy Sandbox, how subscriptions aren’t the revenue driver they once were for publishers and how X is once again telling advertisers it’s serious about brand safety, as seen in recent data from Digiday+ Research.

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Publishers are placing their bets on both traditional and alternative revenue streams in 2024 — even after a tumultuous 2023, when publishers’ revenues turned out to be less lucrative than expected and the media industry saw a seemingly endless cycle of layoffs.

Despite those challenges, direct-sold display ads remained a top revenue driver for publishers throughout 2023 and, in actuality, direct-sold ads have been publishers’ top revenue stream since 2020. This is according to Digiday+ Research surveys of publisher professionals conducted over the past four years. Programmatic ads have consistently come in second place among publishers’ revenue sources, followed by branded content and video advertising, according to Digiday’s surveys.

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In this week’s Digiday+ Research Briefing, we examine which revenue streams were top of mind for publishers at the Digiday Publishing Summit, how TikTok is getting even more marketing spend from brands and retailers despite facing a potential U.S. ban, and how Disney is rolling out DRAX Direct, a direct integration with the industry’s largest DSPs, as seen in recent data from Digiday+ Research.

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• Sustainability standards
• Senate holds meeting on oversight of generative AI in journalism
• The Messenger is in financial turmoil, Puck has a new CEO and more

Sustainability standards

A lack of standards for measuring carbon emissions in the digital advertising industry has prevented sustainability from becoming a deciding factor for how ad budgets are executed, despite the fact that questions around carbon footprints have popped up on request for proposals (RFPs) for the better part of last year.  

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