The first half of this decade dealt a crushing blow to publishers: the pandemic and AI completely transformed the industry.

Not all publishers survived these challenges, but those who did transformed into lean organizations with optimized EBITDA, becoming more agile and open to growth.

Macroeconomic forecasts in the United States for 2025 are mostly optimistic, promising an increase in advertising budgets and, consequently, higher CPMs.

Vertical Video

In 2025, publishers will increasingly experiment with vertical video formats, while platforms will offer an expanded set of tools for using and monetizing video players. This will allow advertisers to allocate budgets more efficiently beyond the confines of “walled gardens.”

Notably, publishers perceived the TikTok situation in the U.S. as an opportunity rather than a threat.

Although publishers create high-quality video content, their distribution channels lack scale. The video carousel format that made TikTok popular has proven its appeal and commercial potential. However, working with external platforms always involves risks: limited monetization, insufficient toolsets, and constantly changing policies.

Now that users are accustomed to the video carousel format, it is crucial for publishers to adopt this efficient element. This move will not only boost audience engagement but also create opportunities for an independent monetization system. It is time to update video players and build a familiar yet unique user experience.

Inventory Suppliers

In 2025, DSPs will increasingly encroach on SSP territory in an effort to gain greater control over this side of the market. A recent acquisition by The Trade Desk (TTD) of the Sincera platform is a clear confirmation of this trend.

With the industry's growing focus on the supply side, curation is becoming increasingly important.

Curation in SSPs will play an increasingly crucial role, addressing the primary challenge of ad technology—controlling transactions. This approach not only ensures a balanced influence when purchasing impressions but also enhances the reliability of open auctions, private deals, and user data-based solutions. As a result, publishers gain more transparent and effective ways to engage with advertisers.

More DSPs will begin working directly with publishers’ code. After acquiring Sincera, TTD will be able to confidently advance its OpenPath initiative. As the importance of curation grows, publishers will start optimizing their ads.txt files, choosing SSPs with unique demand. Therefore, curators must strengthen relationships with publishers while access to premium inventory remains open.

Fingerprinting

The widespread adoption of solutions designed to replace cookies cannot be ignored. In 2025, it will become clear how heavily these alternative solutions rely on fingerprinting—especially as major tech companies continue their "crusade" for user privacy.

In 2024, cookie replacement providers significantly increased their profits, raising technology costs in the market, while publishers readily accepted the additional revenue. However, the situation remains ambiguous: advertisers still question the real value of these solutions, and publishers should consider improving their audience understanding.

It is expected that providers will offer publishers a more transparent and accessible DIY solution based on the SaaS model. This approach will help publishers better understand how to gather more information about their visitors and effectively pass this data along the chain.

This year, numerous user privacy laws are also expected to emerge across different countries, complicating the work of publishers. Legal battles over data security are anticipated. The sooner you address this area, the better.

Don't Just Trust IAB

Last year, IAB Tech Lab introduced significant updates that will directly impact publisher revenue. Key changes include recommendations on the new OpenRTB video.plcmt specification and ID bridging.

This year, Tech Lab plans to release several new updates focusing on curation, Retail Media, and CTV.

Remember, Tech Lab is a "people's" organization operating on a self-governance principle where market participants advocate for their interests. Do not stay on the sidelines: final decisions influenced by vested parties may contradict your goals.

For publishers, regardless of their scale, active participation in Tech Lab working groups is crucial. This ensures access to advertising technologies that foster industry-wide growth.

Retail Media

Advertising agencies eagerly use ROAS as a metric for their clients but often lack a deep understanding of how profitability is formed.

Profitability is the ability to extract the maximum return from available resources. It helps sellers understand monetization on a deeper level. While ensuring ROAS for clients is important, working on profitability to achieve internal business goals is equally crucial.

Leading Retail Media companies are hiring advertising technology specialists from the supply side, as publishers are particularly interested in operations that enhance profitability. Therefore, 2025 is the perfect time to transition into Retail Media or to hire ad tech experts. Your CFO will appreciate it.

Here Are Some Other Trends for Publishers:

• Advertising in LLMs has not yet emerged, but it is inevitable. Publishers should start preparing now for coexistence with generative search and AI.
• Monetization will continue transforming into a service. This year, the trend of reducing in-house monetization teams in favor of outsourcing these services will accelerate.
• Paid traffic will remain relevant in 2025. While the threat from MFA sites (made-for-advertising websites) is no longer as severe, publishers still have strong reasons to invest in audience acquisition.

Down But Not Out

The second half of this decade simply cannot be tougher than the first—publishers have already endured the most severe market shocks.

And while mergers and acquisitions gain momentum, DSPs are working more closely with high-quality inventory, advertisers are increasing budgets, and publishers are exploring new avenues. It's time to get back in the game—our story is far from over.