Why publishers should shift to selling agents, not ads

Michael Rubenstein, co-founder and co-CEO, Firsthand

The old model is breaking. Digital media’s foundational ad model — capturing attention and monetizing it through volume — is no longer sustainable. Publisher site traffic is declining, consumer behavior is evolving and AI-driven platforms are fundamentally changing how people discover, learn and act on information.

Licensing publisher content to AI platforms might seem like a lifeline, but it won’t replace advertising revenue. Worse, it risks eroding brand identity and severing direct customer relationships, as others become the front door to publishers’ intellectual property. It’s not a long-term solution for either revenue or relevance.

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