At the recent New Digital Age (NDA) roundtable held at Cannes Lions, the atmosphere was one of defiant optimism mixed with pragmatic realism. Chaired by NDA publisher Andy Oakes, a panel of industry leaders gathered to dissect the shifting sands of media ownership. The conversation focussed on the dual challenges of technological disruption and the enduring necessity of trusted editorial content.
The media ecosystem in 2026 is vastly more crowded than it was even five years ago, with tech giants, retail media networks, and creators all aggressively competing for the same finite pool of audience attention and advertiser spend. Yet, as the discussion revealed, while the mechanisms of delivery have fragmented, the foundational value of premium publishing remains remarkably stable.
The roundtable brought together a diverse group of experts: Alex Kirby, Revenue Operations Director, Hello; George Odysseos, Chief Commercial Officer, Planet Sport; Glenn Iceton, Commercial Director, Future; James Florence, Head of Advertising Technology, Immediate Media Co; Keith Gillen, Senior Account Director, CNN International Commercial; Meena Miles, Director of Global Ad Ops, The Independent; and Owen Griffiths, Commercial Revenue Director, The Sun.
From reach to relevance
For media businesses, the historic reliance on sheer scale as a primary selling point has undergone a drastic reassessment. The era of simply leading with audience numbers to secure advertising spend has given way to a far more sophisticated dialogue centred on attribution, connection and data depth.
Owen Griffiths, Commercial Revenue Director at The Sun, said that for publishers today, rather than focussing on scale, “now, it’s about demonstrating to advertisers what we can provide, proving our attribution models, and demonstrating clear ROI.”
This shift from raw volume to demonstrable value requires publishers to think much more holistically about their ecosystems. Keith Gillen, Senior Account Director at CNN International Commercial, said that his organisation has adapted by transforming into a comprehensive solution provider.
“We definitely have had to see ourselves become a bit more of a one-stop shop for brands, offering the full 360 service,” Gillen explained, highlighting an ecosystem that spans linear TV, digital platforms, audio, newsletters, events and a highly developed brand studio.
However, expanding outside of one’s owned-and-operated properties introduces significant operational friction. Syndication platforms offer massive reach but often limit a publisher’s autonomy. Alex Kirby, Revenue Operations Director at Hello, pointed out this delicate balance.
“We’re seeing really, really great engagement in our syndication platforms. The problem is, when you’re outside of your own ecosystem, what you can control, be it with regards to your commercial offering or even your editorial offering, is limited.”
Kirby added that while platforms like Apple News deliver high engagement, the commercial returns can sometimes be frustratingly restricted.
The infrastructure tax
Beyond the commercial pressure from platforms, publishers are also grappling with an accumulation of operational challenges on their own sites, a set of constraints that some within the industry view as an ongoing logistical burden.
“The thing that we don’t really talk about much anymore is the impact of governance and compliance,” Kirby observed. “Everything is harder on a site. You have to go through multiple steps, you have to have your CMP, and it slows the page down. All of those little incremental things impact why those users might go to a walled garden platform where they don’t have those extra steps.”
Despite these systemic headaches, the core editorial mission remains the North Star for publishers fighting to maintain audience trust in an era increasingly flooded with low-quality, automated content.
James Florence, Head of Advertising Technology at Immediate Media, argued that the fundamental role of the media owner hasn’t shifted as radically as it might appear from the outside.
“In the short term, it’s a challenge for sure to navigate,” Florence said, “but actually, I’m not entirely sure our role is that different. We still need to deliver content that consumers love, that’s trusted, that’s accurate, that’s fact-led, that is a complete antidote to misinformation and fake AI stuff that gets generated.”
Immediate Media has experimented with social-first brands to capture younger demographics, finding that combining personality-led content with legacy brand authenticity resonates strongly with audiences concerned about information quality.
The algorithmic audience
The changing nature of consumer behaviour itself is forcing a design and editorial overhaul. With attention spans dropping, publishers can no longer rely on traditional formats to retain users who are conditioned by rapid-fire social feeds.
George Odysseos, Chief Commercial Officer at Planet Sport, highlighted the distinct challenge this poses to modern digital operations.
“The biggest challenge for publishers is adapting the way we present our content to users whose attention span has declined,” Odysseos said. “If you can’t get your messaging across in the first 10 seconds, they’re gone.”
This reality influences everything from mobile user experience to the way headlines are constructed. Odysseos lamented that the artistic, front-page headline style historically perfected by print newspapers has been largely superseded by algorithmic optimisation.
“Now every headline is designed trying to get picked up, based on algorithms. Whether we like it or not, we’re all suckers for clickbait.”
To thrive within these constraints, media owners are leaning heavily into diversification and agility. Glenn Iceton, Commercial Director at Future, explained that his company’s strategy focuses explicitly on meeting consumers in whatever format they prefer.
“Our main approach now is that our consumers are showing up in different ways wanting content in different places,” Iceton said.
He pointed to the acquisition of social-first platforms and the strategic embrace of large language models (LLMs) as key pillars of their relevance strategy.
“Our content is being learned from, and our partnerships in that space with OpenAI and others are really helping us, and we’re finding different commercial models working in those spaces that can feel like a threat.”
It’s clear that the future for media owners in this space will be driven by collaboration and partnership.
The second part of this report will focus on the impact of AI.
