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Inside The New York Times’ Plan to Bring Ads to The Athletic

Beginning Monday, The Athletic will feature ads for the first time in its six-year history

Inside The New York Times’ Plan to Bring Ads to The Athletic
The Athletic introduced ads to its website Monday, the first step in a larger plan from The New York Times to monetize its $550 million acquisition. Kacy Burdette
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By Mark Stenberg

September 12, 2022

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When The New York Times acquired the subscription sports publisher The Athletic for $550 million in January, along with its 1.2 million paid subscriptions, The Times also gained a website that attracted 4 million monthly readers in 2021—but had not run a single advertisement in its six-year history. 

Now, after six months of planning, The New York Times has finally changed that. On Monday, The Athletic rolled out its first on-site ads, marking a significant step for the publisher and a key development in The Times’ larger strategy to expand its global advertising footprint.

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Headshot of Mark Stenberg

Mark Stenberg

Mark Stenberg is Adweek's senior media reporter.

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