Evaluating AI Deals for Publishers: Key Considerations

Scroll to see the first-look agenda now ➡️ The Independent Publisher Conference 2026 agenda is taking shape, and it's one you won’t want to miss. Across three stages, over a series of sessions and case studies, expert speakers will discuss: • Business Strategy: innovation, investment, and the lessons behind independent publishers' biggest wins and setbacks, including insights from the latest Innovation in Media Report. • Revenue & Growth: subscriptions, events, and the commercial opportunities publishers are turning into sustainable revenue. • Content & Community: AI, editorial trust, video, and what it takes to turn audiences into loyal, engaged communities. Stay tuned - speakers to be announced very soon. 🎤See first-look agenda here: https://lnkd.in/ea2WJ-5N ⏰Save over 20% with earlybird rates until 21 October: https://lnkd.in/esKeKi9x #PPAIndPub

Search crawlers, AI training scrapers, real-time answer-engine bots, and AI agents retrieving content on a reader's behalf are all hitting your site – each with different intent, value, and implications for how to respond.   Join the PPA on Wednesday 9 September for a practical morning on the future of access – human, machine, hybrid. Expect real case studies, demos, and expert insight – with speakers from The Guardian, Which?, Mark Allen Group, Movement for an Open Web, Competition and Markets Authority and MonetizationOS. The future of access takes a multi-faceted approach – we’ll be discussing many of them, covering monetisation through routes to payment, strategic decisions on blocking or access, licensing and regulation. We've built five bespoke sessions, each tackling a different part of the future of access puzzle. You’ll leave with clear actions on what publishers and media owners can do next. This is a free event for PPA publisher members. Register now: https://lnkd.in/etaseFSz #TrustedEditorialBrands

🚨Government grants 12-month implementation window for subscription rules but retains digital renewal refund requirement This morning, the Government formally published its response to the consultation on the subscription provisions within the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA). This provides a clearer and more finalised framework for how the new rules will apply to publishers. Sajeeda Merali, CEO, PPA commented: "[This] is a welcome step forward after a lengthy delay. We are particularly pleased that the PPA’s engagement has led ministers to confirm a 12-month implementation period, giving publishers the necessary time to adapt and ensure full compliance[...] However, we are disappointed by the decision on renewal cooling-off periods for digital services. Retaining refund requirements at this stage leaves publishers commercially exposed, particularly where audiences can access time-sensitive, high-value content" Read Saj's full statement, and find out more, here: https://lnkd.in/e-7yp38b If you have any questions or would like to discuss the implications further, please do get in touch with Eilidh Wilson (eilidh.wilson@ppa.co.uk) #TrustedEditorialBrands #MakeItFair

PPA submits response to the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) consultation on Google’s proposed conduct requirements. Sajeeda Merali, CEO, PPA said: “This is a welcome step from the CMA and an important opportunity to rebalance the relationship between publishers and Google. It rightly recognises the significant market power held within search and the dependence many publishers have on that gateway to reach audiences". Eilidh Wilson, Head of Policy & Public Affairs, PPA added: “Google remains the UK’s dominant search provider and is fundamental to the sustainability of trusted editorial brands. For publishers, transparency is a prerequisite for control: without clear, end-to-end insight into how content is crawled, used, and attributed, opt-out controls risk existing only in theory. That is why the CMA’s measures must deliver granular, per-feature controls over AI-driven search products, alongside safeguards that allow publishers to exercise those choices without fear of detriment." The key points from our submission: ✅Immediate work needed on payment for content conduct requirements ✅Transparency must be a pre‑requisite for meaningful control ✅Controls must offer meaningful granularity ✅Mandatory consent interaction with publishers ✅Need for ongoing, independent compliance audits ✅Requirement for separate crawlers ✅Protection against punitive ranking practices ✅Search engine choice screen must not include AI assistant tools Find out more: https://lnkd.in/g2xGFYPE The PPA will continue to work closely with members and with the CMA to secure the refinements necessary to ensure these remedies deliver real, not theoretical, benefits. #TrustedEditorialBrands #MakeItFair #MagazineMedia

Publishers expect search traffic to fall by up to 40% over three years as the zero-click search takes hold. AI bots are scraping at scale and click-through rates from chatbots are minimal. Yet some publishers surveyed as part of the PPA's new research reported no meaningful audience impact at all.  These are the questions at the heart of strategic choices for AI Licensing. At the PPA Festival next week (Wednesday 6 May)... 🤖Magda Woods, Data & AI Transformation Leader 🤖Tom West, Chief Executive, Publishers' Licensing Services (PLS) 🤖Felix Danczak, Head of Strategy, MonetizationOS will present the PPA’s research findings and the decision framework developed to help publishers identify the strongest approach for their business. Last chance tickets are still available. Find out more and book here: https://lnkd.in/ei7UbnVa #TrustedEditorialBrands #MakeItFair #LargeLanguageModels #AI #PPAFestival

Is AI killing search? PPA CEO, Sajeeda Merali sat down with Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong (BBC Radio 4) to discuss the evolving role of search and the importance of sustaining a flow of trusted, quality content. Also in the episode, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales talks about why attribution is such an issue. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/etRz-xDx #TrustedEditorialBrands #AISearch #WebsiteTraffic #CollectiveLicensing

PPA members, did you know that all 2026 PPA Festival content is available on-demand? You can access it for free on the PPA website, by logging in to your member account (or creating one in a couple of simple steps). It gives you access to sessions like the below, looking at how you can rebuild your products for the AI era, and tons more valuable content for all job functions and business types. Any questions, drop me a note - otherwise, get stuck in!

Last week, PPA CEO Sajeeda Merali spoke at Press Gazette’s Future of Media Technology Conference. The panel: Katie Palisoul (POLITICO); Sam Hall (Ascend Media); Mads Holmen (MonetizationOS); and Jason Konen (WP Engine) explored new ways to make quality journalism pay online. Key takeaways include: • Personality is key. Obsess over your audience - focus on their daily habits and where/how they consume. • Authenticity is what makes your brands indispensable. Fixate on relationships and community - look after your audiences’ needs. • Organise around relationships and building a lifetime value. Ensure you put that relationship at the heart of everything. • Prepare for scaling programmatic licensing – you need to be thinking about pricing, terms, and guardrails. #TrustedEditorialBrands #FOMT26

🚨How to write an award-winning entry This is your chance to get your work in front of a panel of experts and receive industry recognition. But how can you ensure your entry stands out? Here are our top tips: ⚓Anchor everything to the criteria ⚓ Make sure every statement, example, and supporting document clearly demonstrates how your work meets (and exceeds) each requirement. 📖 Tell your story📖 Craft a compelling narrative to explain why you’ve chosen this category, the challenges overcome, milestones reached, and positive outcomes you’ve delivered. 📊Back it up with evidence 📊 Collect all relevant examples and data, such as financials, performance metrics, testimonials, and case studies, as well as supporting evidence. Quantify your impact throughout. ❤️ Emphasise what sets you apart ❤️ What makes your work genuinely different? Explain how you have addressed specific customer needs or industry challenges, and why it goes further than your competition. Enter the PPA Awards before Monday 9 February. View the 2026 categories and enter now: https://lnkd.in/eTpnuHgu And you can read the judges' comments about the 2025 winners, to see what made them stand out, here: https://lnkd.in/eKes23sQ #PPAAwards #TrustedEditorialBrands

You don't need to be everywhere at once. Instead, success will come from focus and prioritising trust, usefulness, habit, and community - while adapting to new discovery environments. In this video, from the 2026 PPA Festival, experts from Enders Analysis, Immediate, The Channel Company, DC Thomson, William Reed Ltd, and APL Media Limited unpack the topline themes from this year’s PPA x Enders Analysis Report. Drawing on industry data, real-world case studies and insight, the report explores how sustainable growth in the AI age will be built on direct audience relationships, strong communities, and distinctive trusted editorial brands. Want the full picture? Join our upcoming webinar on 24 September, where we go deeper into the data behind these trends and what they mean for B2B and B2C publishers balancing human creativity with machine-ready discovery, AI, and data. 📩 Free for PPA members, register now: https://lnkd.in/eT8UpABG 📊 Download the report: https://lnkd.in/eQpG5bQ3 Abi Watson | Claire Holubowskyj | Mel McVeigh | Lily Barclay | Alan Loader| Gift Egbedi | John Barnes | Becky Redman #TrustedEditorialBrands