Publishers have all the time had a love/hate relationship with digital transformation. It’s given them extra methods than ever to achieve readers and potential subscribers, whereas on the identical time it’s introduced on challenges associated to website site visitors and AI.
Maybe that’s why, after a yr by which publishers shifted their income dependence away from conventional channels and towards digital channels, 2025 has seen a shift again towards extra of a steadiness between conventional and digital income sources.
That’s in keeping with a Digiday+ Analysis survey of greater than 50 writer professionals carried out within the second quarter of this yr.
Digiday’s survey discovered an enormous year-over-year distinction in how a lot publishers depend upon conventional channels vs. digital channels for income. Final yr, practically two-thirds of writer professionals (64%) stated their corporations generated income principally or totally from digital channels. This yr, that share fell to 51%.
On the flip facet, simply 13% of publishers stated final yr that they generate income principally or totally from conventional channels. This yr, that share rose to just about one-quarter (23% of respondents stated this in 2025).
these year-over-year percentages, it appears as if publishers have gone by way of an actual shift in the place they’re getting their income. And, apparently, this shift makes it seem as if publishers are shifting away from a heavy dependence on digital channels knowledge and towards extra of a steadiness between digital and conventional channels.
However wanting extra carefully on the knowledge reveals that this year-over-year shift is definitely extra of a return to the norm for the way publishers’ income is distributed between digital and conventional channels.
Initially, going again a bit additional and breaking down Digiday’s survey knowledge reveals that the proportion of publishers who get their income totally from conventional channels or totally from digital channels has remained pretty regular over the previous few years.
In 2022, 2% of writer professionals stated their corporations generate income totally from conventional channels. In 2023, 5% stated the identical. 4 p.c stated the identical in 2024 and that share stayed the identical into 2025. In the meantime, 28% of publishers stated in 2022 that their income got here totally from digital channels. Twenty-nine p.c stated the identical in 2023, 24% stated so in 2024 and 28% stated so this yr.
The proportion of publishers who rely equally on each conventional and digital income sources has additionally remained regular: In 2022, one-quarter of writer professionals stated they generated income about equally from conventional and digital channels, 20% stated the identical in 2023, 23% stated so in 2024 and this yr 26% stated their income is equally distributed between conventional and digital channels.
Final yr, nonetheless, the proportion of publishers who stated they get their income principally from conventional channels took a big dip, whereas the proportion who stated their income comes principally from digital channels noticed an enormous soar. Eighteen p.c of publishers stated they bought their income principally from conventional channels in 2022, and 19% stated the identical in 2023. However in 2024, simply 9% of writer professionals advised Digiday conventional channels generated most of their income. On the identical time, 27% of publishers stated in each 2022 and 2023 that their corporations generated income principally from digital channels. In 2024, that share elevated to 40%.
However each of these percentages normalized this yr. In 2025, 19% of publishers stated they get income principally from conventional channels. And 23% stated they get income principally from digital channels.
It’s definitely fascinating to see the pendulum swing a technique after which the opposite when it comes to the place publishers are getting income. And it will likely be value watching how this knowledge modifications as Gen Zers proceed to become older. Talking of which, keep tuned for future Digiday+ Analysis protection of how Gen Z is consuming information.
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