Newsweek generated $ 90 million in income in the last year, with a 20%profit margin. As a result, 63% ($ 57 million) came from digital advertising (70% of which were programmatic advertising and 30% directly). Naturally, research focused on research is a large part of this monetization model for the publisher, which had around 43 million monthly users on the desk and mobile in May 2025, up 8.8% in annual shift, according to Comscore. Events and subscriptions represented less than 1% of income last year.

Newsweek CEO, Dev Pragad, stressed that Google AI’s overviews and AI platforms had generally not yet caused a significant traffic erosion, but that the publisher wishes to reduce its dependence on digital advertising, going from 63% of its global income to 55% compared to next year.

The objective of next year is to always aim for growth of 10 to 15%, rather than increased income of 43% from last year, given the opposite winds of AI and macroeconomic uncertainty, he noted. But he wants to get there with a more diverse mixture of income – which, according to him, will insulate the company of the encroachment of the erosion of the reference traffic of the AI.

This implies developing its vertical strategy with more events, subscription experiences and more editorial rankings – co -marques lists based on data produced in partnership with research companies such as Statista, which assess and highlight the leading organizations, institutions and services in a wide range of sectors, including health care and retail sales. Pragad has not excluded the application of a more widely advanced subscription strategy in the new general, but the publisher is at the early stages of tests.

Newsweek already performs digital and printed subscriptions for its magazine, for $ 4.99 per month, or $ 49.00 per year. Pragad said that these stimulate a “reasonable amount of income”, but that the company does not push them or market them.

Direct and programmatic advertising will remain priorities, the publisher having recently acquired ADPRIME, an advertising platform focused on health care, in particular to target pharmaceutical brands and health care, to complete its existing health care vertical.

Like many publishers, the emphasis has been placed on more direct driving and PMP purchases, compared to open-web programming, those which represent around 40% of total digital advertising this year, according to Pragad. “This year, our goal is to really stabilize the growth we knew last year, then build above. So Newsweek alone would be [a] $ 100 million in business [with the 10 percent predicted growth] And moreover, that would make us considerably north of that, “said Pagrad.

Research preparation “zero click

Most publishers are concerned about planning a “zero clent” future and Newsweek, and its strong research focused on,, is no exception. With programmatic advertising revenues which depend if depositing on the pages viewed, many of which via Google Search, Newsweek also puts pressure to reduce its dependence on open programming advertising and consolidates more direct advertising offers.

“What stimulates diversification is partly the impact of AI or the way consumers engage in information,” said Pragad. “So a large part of our diversification [strategy] Search for sources of income that could potentially be disturbed by AI, then try to invest and develop sources of income that will not be disrupted by the way people are committed and consume information via AI. »»

Many publishers – including the Washington Post and even the New York Times – have now signed license agreements on AI to ensure that they are compensated for IA engines, scratching their content, but Newsweek has not yet encountered terms that made it.

The publisher refused what he considered the offers at low ball in the “seven low figures”, said Pragad, although he did not say from companies. “For the amount of money that they were ready to pay for all our historical content, and on an annual basis … and of course, an agreement would mean giving them a general release to everything … The money that was on the table simply did not make sense to conclude an agreement. [seven-figure deal] would have had no material impact, “he added.

However, Pragad is more optimistic about the potential of future syndication agreements with AI companies being a more lucrative income model for publishers like Newsweek. The publisher uses a toll to follow the frequency to which its content is scratched, which is quite often. According to Tollbit, bot trafficking directed to the toll bot increased by 732% between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, according to Tollbit. When a Bot AI needs access to articles on Newsweek, it must pay costs by use as fixed by the publisher. Until now, publishers – Newsweek included – are tightened on what they earn from these configurations.

“I hope there will be a sustained effort in the industry to bring them [LLMs] at the table and negotiate a fair agreement. And that there will be a kind of standard through which publishers also earn money because we are those that produce content, “added Pragad.

Two media buyers, who asked for anonymity so that they could speak frankly, said that Newsweek had not fully supported the influence that he once had as a printed giant of his peak, but that continuous investment in his investigation journalism will be a crucial part of his future differentiation, as publishers suffer even more visible to the new era generated by AI.

“It is [Newsweek] A name brand, without a doubt on this subject, but it is not yet obvious if the rest is up to what the name was, “said an official of the main agency in a holding group agency.

Subscriptions will take a greater reduction in income

The subscriptions will take a larger slice of Newsweek’s strategic income pie. The publisher improves its subscription software throughout the summer, with plans to start experimenting pricing models for subscriptions for consumption and B2B subscriptions, focused on B2B this fall, by Pragad. He will then test and learn on a defined period to understand what the right pricing models will be and what type of editorial products and services for people will be ready to pay. This will be tested in the fall in the United States

He will start with vertical health care, for example putting his most popular health newsletters, behind a paid wall. The plan is to hire more editors and journalists before the rest of the year, although it has not revealed accommodation figures. Newsweek has 250 editors in total, according to the publisher.

Subscription income will be modest at the start, it is unlikely that 10% of income by the end of next year, according to Pragad, and yet the expectation is that of “dealing over time”, he added.