Publishing

Why Publishers’ Ad Revenues Skyrocketed Last Year, in 5 Charts

For some, the promised future of digital media has arrived

Abacus made of newspaper — Last year, many publishers had historic digital ad revenues. The uptick came as the result of a number of factors.Illustration: Trent Joaquin; Getty Images

Meet the next generation of consumers where they are now. Join us virtually for The New Consumer, on March 30, for tips from Clutch, Mars Wrigley and more. Sign up for free.

Last year, publishers across the media industry saw their digital advertising revenues reach record-breaking heights, the result of a culmination of factors––some obvious, others more discrete––that had been years in the making.

As in other sectors, the pandemic served as the primary catalyst for this transformation, fast-tracking years of innovation in a matter of months. But adaptation within the media industry, prompted by years of internal restructuring, put publishers in a position to benefit from an increasingly digitized daily life.

Below