Do legacy reach-publishers have a future? People Inc’s 40 media brands are losing search traffic, but the company says 41% of digital revenue no longer depends on website visits. It’s social video, AI licensing deals, a recipe platform, and an app where people stick around. (Charlotte Tobitt, Press Gazette)
- People Inc has lost Google's share of core sessions from 55% to 25% in two years, and account for 41% of digital revenue in the first quarter without website visits, through social video, AI licensing, apps, and recipe platforms.
- Overall digital revenue grew 8% year on year to $253m in Q1 2026, the tenth consecutive quarter of growth, even as Google search traffic fell 63%.
- The playbook is real, but it took deep pockets, 40 established brands, and a print magazine business still shipping 300 million copies a year to pull off.
