AOP News | Research

The LLM Catch-22: User Trust in AI Depends on Sources That Don’t Get Clicks

Without publisher content, artificial intelligence is not very intelligent at all. While many publishers may look at the declines in referral traffic since the proliferation of AI and feel despair, we must remember the value that we have. It is our intellectual property that “teaches” the same LLMs that are now powering interfaces that syphon our traffic.

AOP News | Research

From Web Surfing to Staying Put: AI Interfaces Lock in Users to Publishers’ Peril

Will we see web surfing become a forgotten skill in our lifetimes? Use of AI search and chat interfaces is more than a mere change in the format in which information is presented, they alter user behaviour from active exploration towards accepting what is given.

AOP News | Research

Strategies for Publisher Survival as AI Syphons Search Engine Referrals

Search referral traffic is in decline due to increasing usage of AI. This has been common knowledge among online publishers since the proliferation of chat interfaces and generated summaries in search results, and we now have concrete data to prove it with the AOP’s newly launched ‘Artificial Intelligence Publisher Impact Study’.

AOP News | Research

Digital Publisher Revenues Saw 4.55% YoY Decline in Q1 2026, AOP and Deloitte Data Reveals

The latest Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index (DPRI) from the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Deloitte reveals that participants’ revenues decreased by 4.55% year-on-year (YoY) in Q1 2026, following four quarters of consecutive growth. A 5.06% increase in display advertising revenues, a category that has shown a recent upswing, was offset by declines across an array of smaller streams and flat subscription growth.

AOP News | Research

Digital Publisher Revenues up by 3.88% YoY in Q4 2025, AOP and Deloitte Data Reveals

AOP and Deloitte’s Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index shows fourth consecutive quarter of overall growth, with participants’ revenues increasing 3.88% year-on-year. This growth was mostly bolstered by a 24.07% YoY uplift in subscriptions revenues, but the effects are being felt unevenly: only 46% of publishers reported revenue growth, with the remaining 54% reporting declines. You can read top-line findings from the DPRI here to learn more.

AOP News | Research

Digital Publishers Firmly Focused on Growth as Attitudes to AI Mature, AOP Survey Reveals

The Association of Online Publishers (AOP) has released the ‘Digital Publishing: Outlook and Priorities for 2026’ report, summarising findings from its annual survey of digital publishers and solutions providers. The report reveals a strong focus on growth for the year ahead among digital publishers, while ESG initiatives continue to be deprioritised, and attitudes to AI are maturing.

AOP News | Research

Digital Publisher Revenues Hit Third Quarter of Consecutive Increases, AOP and Deloitte Data Reveals

The latest Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index (DPRI) from the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Deloitte reveals that participants’ revenues grew by 4.24% year-on-year (YoY), marking the third consecutive quarter of increases. Total revenues for the quarter were £159.73 million, with an even split between publishers that reported revenue growth and those that reported declines.

AOP News | Research

Digital Publisher Revenues continued to climb in Q2 2025, data from AOP and Deloitte reveals

The latest Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index (DPRI) from the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Deloitte reveals more solid revenue growth, with total Q2 2025 revenues of £165.40 million, up by 3.43% year-on-year (YoY). However, the data suggests that revenue growth isn't evenly distributed, with only slightly more than half of respondents (54%) reporting growth in their revenues during Q2 2025.

AOP News | Research

Q1 2025 Saw Largest Increase in Digital Publisher Revenues Since Pandemic, AOP and Deloitte Reveal

The latest Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index (DPRI) from the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Deloitte reveals the largest year-on-year (YoY) revenue growth in the post-pandemic period, with total revenues increasing by 9.27% compared to Q1 2024. With the exception of display advertising and classifieds, all revenue categories showed significant growth, resulting in total Q1 2025 revenues of £166.94 million.